Home Sweet Home Ch1
by SilverEchidna
Summary: This story takes place after the events of Mass Effect 3, with the reunification of Shepard and his team, as well as a proper closing. You will notice while reading that I added a new character, a fan character, Agent Hyde. If you want to read up on him, head over to my deviantArt profile. Heavy on character interaction. Tali/Shepard focus, with a side of headcanon for Liara/Hyde.
1. Chapter 1

Shepard's quarters were in near silence. The only thing that could be heard was the hum of the aquarium. The feeder dispensed food for the fish, and they swarmed around the particles, blissfully ignorant of the quarian sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at a rectangular piece of metal.

Tali was staring at the plaque that was made only just a day after they had landed on this unidentified planet. Seeing the words "Commander Shepard" had made her cry, but at this point her tear ducts were dry. When the time came to put the plaque on the memorial wall, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her mind told her that he's more than likely dead, but her heart told her that he must be alive, and in the end her heart always won out. She had tried to get her mind off of worrying about him by making repairs to the drive core with engineers Adams, Donnelly, and Daniels, but it only worked for so long: she barely had any motivation. She had not felt this way since Kaidan first told her that Shepard was dead two years ago; in fact this was probably worse, because last time she had never told him about her feelings for him, and now that she had she hoped that once the Reapers were destroyed, the two of them would be able to return to Rannoch and build a quiet life for themselves. She played the scenario in her head just before Shepard fought the Reaper on Rannoch:

_"If we leave now the geth stay under Reaper control and the quarians are dead. This ends now!"_ Shepard placed his hand on his earpiece, _"EDI, patch the quarians to the Normandy's weapons system. I want the targeting laser synced up to the whole damn fleet."_

_ "Understood,"_ replied EDI.

_"If this doesn't..."_ nervously said Tali, _"If we don't make it..."_

_"You worry too much," _answered Shepard.

_"I love you."_

_ "Keelah se'lai."_

Thinking about that forced a few tears to her eyes. Shepard was probably dead now, but she refused to believe it, not until it was confirmed, and they had received no word.

"Please, John," she begged in a whisper, "Don't be dead. I... I can't lose you again, not when we have so much to look forward to. I... I don't want to build a home unless I have you there with me. I... I... oh Keelah!" She broke down in tears. "Damn the Reapers! Why did they have to do this to me?!"

"If you think about it, Tali," said a female voice, "The Reapers are what brought you and Shepard together."

"Oh! Liara. I... didn't hear you come in." Liara stood at the top of the stairs.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting anything."

"No, it's okay."

"Tali..."

"Really, I'm..." Tali sighed. "No, I'm not okay. We're light years away from John, and I don't know if he's alive or..."

Liara came and sat down with her and put an arm around her. "Don't give up hope, Tali. Shepard has survived impossible odds before, even death."

"But last time Cerberus brought him back to life. Now that they're gone..."

"There won't be any chance of bringing him back. I know, and if it turns out to be true and Shepard really is... dead, then you, and all of us, have to move on."

Tali didn't say anything for a moment. "I know, but right now..."

Liara hugged her. "Don't give up."

Tali relaxed a bit. "Thank you, Liara. And how are you doing? Have you heard from Hyde yet?"

Liara sighed. "No, and I worry about him almost as much as you worry about Shepard."

"Don't you give up yet either. If John's alive, Hyde must be too."

"I hope so. In the meantime, Admiral Hackett finally managed to contact us, and he says that he has urgent news to tell us." Tali's eyes widened. This may be it, the moment that would tell her if she should try to move on with her life, or be a reason to hope again.

"Okay," said Tali after a moment, "I'll be right there." Liara got up and headed back to the elevator. Tali got up and put the plaque on Shepard's desk, then proceeded to meet the team in the comm room. The entire team, save for EDI, was there standing in front of Hackett's hologram.

"Hey, there you are Sparks!" greeted James, trying to get her spirits up.

"Sorry I'm late," apologized Tali, "I was just..."

"You don't have to tell us Tali," said Garrus sympathetically, "We know you're going through a tough time right now. We all are."

"Thanks Garrus."

"We're all here admiral," said Kaidan.

"Good," said Hackett, "Let me first start by saying that I'm glad we were finally able to contact the Normandy. I'll admit, I feared the worst."

"The Normandy's systems took quite a beating when we landed here. We repaired the comm system as fast as we could so we could get in touch with the Alliance, let'em know where we are."

"Glad to hear it, major. Now I know all of you must be wondering why I told Major Alenko to bring you all here. This is because the six of you were with the commander since this war first started, and some of you were with him before that, so I knew that the news I have for you would have the greatest impact, as I'm sure you all are concerned about Shepard's health." A spark of hope flared in Tali.

"It has been something we've all wondered about," said Garrus.

"After the Crucible fired," continued Hackett, "The Citadel was severely damaged from the blast, much of the Wards being reduced to rubble. When the dust settled, I made finding Shepard a top priority. I sent recon teams to scout every inch of the Citadel until they found his body. Captain Williams' recon team Alpha found him..." The room was silent. "Alive. Badly wounded, but alive." That spark became a flame, and everyone but Javik's eyes widened.

"Shepard's still alive?!" said James.

"Correct, lieutenant."

"Was Hyde with him?!" asked Liara.

"Mr. Hyde was close by, still somewhat conscious. The recon teams assembled at Alpha so that each team's medic could administer first aid to keep them alive until transportation arrived. We had the two of them sent back to a hospital still in operation on Earth, and have our best doctors treating their injuries."

"Just how beat up are they?" wondered James.

"Shepard suffered the worst of it. Multiple fractures, burns and bruises all over his body, a collapsed rib cage. Hyde suffered similar burns, and has both his lower legs broken, though the doctors suspect that this was before he reached the Conduit."

"So Hyde followed Shepard up despite what he said..." Liara said to herself.

"Admiral," said Kaidan, "You don't know what this news means to us. I think I can speak for everyone that you put our minds to rest on this."

"You're welcome," replied Hackett, "I'm sure they want to see you just as much as you want to see them, so I have an order for you major: I want the Normandy space-worthy again so that your reunion can happen."

Kaidan saluted Hackett. "Yes sir!"

"Hackett out." The hologram phased out. Everyone was speechless for a while.

"I can hardly believe it," finally said Kaidan.

"The commander's odds of survival were slim," pointed out Javik, "But it is of no surprise that he survived given that he has been through worse."

"Odd way of saying you're relieved to hear this news, Buggy," joked James. "Even if you do have a point."

"I always knew Shepard was a tough son-of-a-bitch," said Garrus, "But wow, even I'm surprised to hear this. Bet that takes a load off of your shoulders, knowing Hyde's with him too, huh Liara?"

Liara smiled. "It does, and now I'm all the more encouraged to help get the Normandy repaired so I can see him again. And I'm sure you're relieved too Tali." Liara turned to face Tali, but she was no longer there. Tali had dashed back to the elevator to head down to the engineering bay.

_He's alive! He's alive! Keelah, he's alive! _She always had a feeling that Shepard was alive, and now that admiral Hackett had confirmed that she was right, Tali was now determined more than ever to get the Normandy up and running again.

_Hold on, John. I'm coming._

The hospital room was cold; power was diverged to the machines keeping Shepard alive. A heart monitor emitted a steady beep, an air mask covered his nose and mouth to help him breath, his bruises and burns had barely begun to recover, and there were a pair of bandages on both arms, marking where he received blood from donors, and there were many volunteers. He had been unconscious ever since the Citadel collapsed, but slowly he managed to open his eyes. He tried to move, but he let out a sharp groan of pain as it stabbed at him everywhere inside of him.

"Yeah, probably best not to move for some time, Shepard," said Hyde. Shepard made the effort to tilt his head toward his infiltrator friend. Hyde was sitting in a wheel chair staring out the window even with the Sun flushing the room with light. His legs were entirely wrapped in bandages, and as opposed to the stealth suit that Hyde wore ever since they remet on the Citadel after Earth was attacked, Hyde was in a typical hospital robe, revealing the bruises and burns he sustained, but they were not as bad as Shepard's.

"Hyde?" muttered Shepard.

"Yep. Still alive and kicking, though that's probably not the best way of saying it considering..." Hyde gazed at his busted legs. Shepard couldn't help but let out a short laugh, and his lungs punished him for it.

"Don't... make jokes... right now."

"Sorry. Kind of hard not to when there is absolutely nothing to do here."

A thought popped into Shepard's head. "How... long?"

"Since you fired the Crucible? A month." Shepard wasn't surprised to hear that. Hyde chuckled. "The doc's are gonna be surprised to see you awake, Shepard. They said you'd be a coma for at least a year, but I know that you have a history of waking up when you weren't expected to."

"Where's... the Normandy?"

Hyde's faced turned glum when Shepard asked that. "I don't know. I don't think anyone knows, or even if it's still out there along with the rest of our friends."

"Did... we win?"

"We wouldn't be here if we didn't. That pulse the Crucible fired spread throughout the entire galaxy so I've heard, wiping out all Reapers, and... unfortunately all AI as well. The geth are reported gone, and I assume EDI and Nora are gone as well."

"Had... to be done."

"I'm not disagreeing with your decision. The Reapers had to be wiped out, and I was there to encourage you to destroy them."

Shepard slumped back into his bed. He felt cheated by the turn of events the Crucible brought upon him. He had brought peace between the geth and quarians, only to have that not matter in the long run, and felt even worse that he killed off EDI just as she was becoming more like a person than a machine.

"I'm gonna miss Nora and EDI," continued Hyde, "They were good... people, but destroying the Reapers was the best option."

"Why do you... say that?"

"Controlling them wouldn't really make you any better than the Illusive Man, and synthesis... what would we do if we reached our peak evolution? Without limitations, we can't advance any further. And besides, I really don't like the idea of screwing with everyone's DNA, especially when it's-" he snapped his fingers, "-just like that."

"I... thought about it."

Hyde was shocked. "What?! Why?!" Shepard let out a depressed sigh. "Oh... right. With that you and Tali would've been able to have flesh and blood kids."

Shepard nodded. "Went against it... since that wouldn't have... happened anyway."

"Cause you would've die if you had done synthesis, making that hope redundant." They sat in silence for a moment. "Well, at least you guys can still adopt. After all, I'd imagine there are a lot of orphans out there right now. Poor things... having their parents taken away like that." Hyde looked over at Shepard, and saw that Shepard had closed his eyes. The heart monitor still maintained its steady rhythm; Shepard had fallen asleep.

_Still weak I guess..._ Hyde looked out at the town. It was a small town, which made sense since the Reapers targeted major cities first, but the Alliance brought in the top doctors here to make sure Shepard, and likewise him, pulled through. It was pleasant view, despite that some of the buildings were damaged or demolished, yet surprising the hospital did not suffer all that much. The power systems had to be quickly brought back online, but with Alliance technicians it took no time at all. Meanwhile outside, everyone was pitching in to rebuild: civilians, soldiers, and even other speices who stayed behind to help their human comrades. He had never seen this kind of thing before in his life, and a sense of pride washed over him.

_It's just too bad it took an apocalypse to do it. _He looked down at his legs, and shook his head. _You gotta stop trying to be a hero._ They made him think back to what happened. Shepard had brought Tali and Garrus with him to the final dash to the Conduit, but he followed close behind, unseen thanks to his stealth suit. When Harbinger blasted the team, Shepard ordered them to save themselves. Tali didn't want to go, but Shepard urged her to save herself, caring more for her life than his. Shepard went back to head for the Conduit, while Hyde continued to follow, disregarding the order because if Shepard was to die there, who else would make it? That's when he saw Harbinger blast Shepard again, that time, Hyde thought, for good. He didn't have time to worry about it, as the shockwave from the blast knocked him off his feet, and a Mako wheel had the convenience of rolling over his legs...

"Son of a bitch!" shouted Hyde. He had never felt a pain like this before. Getting shot was one thing; getting your bones broken was a whole other world. He looked up to see where Shepard was, fearing the worst. The commander was already limping his way to the beam. "Well I'll be damned. What does it take to kill him?" He knew he shouldn't make jokes right now, but he couldn't help it. But his surprise changed to panic as three husks came out from behind a pile of rubble to bring Shepard down, but the commander managed to bring his pistol up and take them down instead. Shepard kept going, only to be sucker shot by a Marauder.

_No...!_ Despite his legs' objections, he crawled over to his Mantis, steadied his aim, and took off the head of the Marauder. _You are NOT holding the line today sir._ Shepard didn't even bother to look around to see who saved his life, and inched his way over to the beam. Hyde located a Predator pistol, figuring that this would be easier to use than a sniper rifle. He had no idea what to expect. He slowly army-crawled to the beam, and followed Shepard up.

He appeared in an ominously lit hallway, littered with dead bodies, and a keeper who was completely oblivious to them. He looked up to see Shepard had already started heading down the hallway.

"Shepard!" he called out, making his presence known. Shepard turned around.

"Hyde?!" he said, irritated. "I thought I told everyone to get back on the Normandy!"

"Look at yourself, Shepard! It's a good thing I went AWOL!"

"Well you aren't looking so good yourself."

"I'll... crawl it off."

"Anderson's here too. He already went ahead of me."

"Guess you and I aren't the only stubborn asses here then. Lead the way."

"No. You stay here, I don't need you getting any more injured."

"But Shepard..."

"That's an order, Hyde." Shepard went on ahead. Hyde wanted to argue, but now was not the time, and his legs agreed with Shepard. He looked around at all the dead humans scattered throughout the hallway.

_I'll sleep good when I'm dead. I just hope it isn't today though._ The place smelt incredibly foul as well. _They're gonna have one hell of a clean-up job when this is over._

Hyde was stubborn though. He had crawled his way after Shepard, and witnessed the Illusive Man commit suicide. Shepard opened the arms, chatted with Hyde, and both of them ascended to where the Catalyst lurked. Hyde was losing consciousness, but overheard what the Catalyst said, and more importantly the options that Shepard had. He reminded Shepard that destroying them was the best option, for both the galaxy, and the two of them if they hoped to live. And now here they were, injured and strapped to this room via red tape, but alive. Hyde rolled his chair back to his bed, carefully climbed out of it, and quickly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Javik had just finished washing his hands for the twentieth time today, and reflected on what had happened ever since the war ended.. It had been a month since admiral Hackett had contacted them to update everyone about Shepard's status, and everyone was doing whatever they could to repair the Normandy. However Javik was a soldier, not an engineer or technician, and as such he did not participate in repairs. Instead he scouted out the unknown world they were on alone, bringing back food and water for the lexo's on board. Tali and Garrus had to ration their food and drink, but they were starting to run out. If they didn't get off this world soon, they would both starve. With that in mind, everyone had been double-timing their repairs, and even Javik was starting to feel a bit concerned, an emotion he never felt before. The Reapers had filled him with nothing but a need for vengeance, and now that they were gone, he decided that, if he was going to live amongst "the young", he needed to change his behavior, especially to those he worked with.

Night had fallen on their world, and as most everyone had gone to bed. Just as he was, he felt a presence still down in the bay. He wasn't at all curious as to who it was though. He headed out to the drive core, and when it came into view, Tali was had her head buried in her arms on the console. Javik shook his head, walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder, lightly shaking her.

"Wake up, quar... Tali'Zorah," he said. Tali lifted her head up lazily, trying to force her heavy eyes open, turning to see who it was.

"Oh. Javik," she drowsily said, "It's just you."

"You need rest."

"I'm fine."

"Your definition of 'fine' is insomnia?"

"I'm just... resting my eyes. I'm ready to get back to... to..." she nearly fell asleep again, but managed to catch herself.

"You cannot repair the drive core in this condition. You will make a mistake, if you haven't already."

"I'm making repairs to more than just leave this world, Javik. For a week, I worried that John was out there, alone and badly hurt, and I couldn't do a thing about it. Now that I know he's alive, every part of me wants to see him again, but I don't think you would ever understand that."

"Maybe not," he admitted, "But do you think the commander would want to see you in this condition? Neglecting your health because you are too determined to see him again?" Tali didn't say anything. "The crew wish to see the commander again as well, but they are aware that they can't do so if they are not at their best, and you must be at your best if you wish to see him again."

Tali hated to admit it, but he was right. She had been neglecting sleep for a month, and it was starting to take effect. Shepard was alive, and she was light years away from. She wanted to be there with him, to touch his face again, and being this far away from him was tearing her apart inside. But Javik was right; Shepard would not want to see her like this.

"Alright," she finally said, "You made your point."

"Go," urged Javik, "Get some proper rest. The drive core will be there when you awaken."

"Thank you, Javik. I didn't expect to hear something like that from you."

Javik forced a slight smile. "There are still a lot of things you and the crew do not know about me." With that, Javik headed back to his quarters. Tali stretched, and headed toward the elevator. Every fiber of being told her to go back, telling her that the sooner the Normandy was done, the sooner she could see Shepard again, but her brain told her to take Javik's advice, and perform at her best. Her body was at war with herself, and she was greatly relieved when it was interrupted by Joker.

"Tali?" he said, his voice coming over the intercom. She could tell that he was exhausted much like she was. "You still awake?"

"Not for long, Joker," she replied wearily, "I'm going to bed now."

"Well you might wanna hold off on doing that right now. We're receiving a communication request from Rannoch. Wild guess says that it's for you."

Tali sighed in frustration: now was not the best time for a chat with the admirals. She was sure that they were keeping themselves busy with rebuilding their society on Rannoch, and wanted her advice on what to do. As much as she like to help, she was more focused on reuniting with Shepard, but if it was Raan, she wanted to assure her that she was alright.

"Wait," she said, realizing something, "What are you still doing awake Joker?"

Joker didn't answer for a moment. "Probably the same as you," his voice was heavy, "Just... trying to keep myself occupied."

"I understand. I wish I wish I knew how I could bring her back."  
"Yeah... me too." Joker signed off. She had nothing but sympathy for Joker. She may be in the same boat with Liara, hurrying to get to their lovers, but for Joker his was gone and he was still having a hard time coping with it. He had held onto EDI's body for a while, not willing to let her go. It was a terrible sight to see; no one ever saw Joker that way before. Finally, by his request, he wanted someone to move it out of sight, though he did so very reluctantly. It was a start, but it would still be some time before he comes to terms with EDI's death.

Tali had emerged into the CIC and made her way into the communication room. She opened the channel and sure enough admiral Raan's hologram appeared.

"Tali?" she anxiously asked, "Is that you?"

"Yes, Auntie," Tali answered, "It's me."

Raan breathed a sign of relief. "Thank the ancestors you're alive. When you never contacted us, I assumed the worst."

"We crashed on an unknown planet and have been busy making repairs to nearly everything: the comm system, the drive core, the hull, everything."

"The Admiralty Board has been as equally occupied. For the moment, we are still making the decisions about reconstruction: permanent settlement sites, agricultural development, as well as tending to the amount of wounded from our brief war with the geth and the Reapers until we come to an agreement about how we want a new government to be set up, if the people want a new government to be set up."

Tali felt a little guilty that she wasn't there where her people needed her. "Sounds like you and the other admirals have your hands full then. I'm sorry I'm not there to help out."

"It's alright, Tali. Right now you should focus on repairing the Normandy so you can come home."

Tali shook her head. "I won't be coming immediately home, Raan. As soon as we're ready, we're going back to Earth."

"May I ask why?" Raan curiously asked. Tali just realized that she shouldn't have mentioned that.

"To... uh..."

"So that you can reunite with commander Shepard?"

She took a step back, startled. "What?! N-no! Shepard is here helping repairs!"

"Tali, we all heard the reports. The commander is in extensive care on Earth, and his chance of survival is low. And if I know you, you want to be there with him until he recovers."

She was stunned. "How long have you known?

"I had a feeling ever since you returned to the Fleet after Shepard died. He strengthened that feeling with how well he defended you at your trial, and after seeing him bring you on every mission during our war with the geth, it confirmed my suspicions that you two had grown very close to each other." Tali didn't know what to say. If Raan knew, how many others knew too?

"I... didn't want to tell you because I didn't know how you, or anyone else in the Fleet, would react."

Raan did not scorn her though. "Tali, I cannot think of anyone else I would rather see you be with. No one here will object to it, not after everything Shepard has done for us."

Tali felt a great weight lifted off of her shoulders. She feared what the reaction might be if the quarians knew of her relationship with Shepard, thinking it would divide the Fleet, but she had to agree with Raan. Shepard had given them their homeworld back, and all quarians were forever thankful to him because of it. She smiled back at her.

"Thank you for understanding, Auntie. I... thank you."

Raan nodded. "We will be here when you return, Tali. Right now, go to Shepard. He needs you now as much as you need him."

"I know, and I will. I love you, Auntie.

"I love you too Tali. I'll be praying for you and Shepard." Raan ended communication, and Tali headed back to the elevator to Shepard's cabin, head held high, and at long last getting the sleep she needed.

_Shepard was hurt. He was hurt bad. It was the first time he had ever taken that kind of firepower head-on before, and somehow he was still walking. Everything he heard was muffled around him, his ears ringing fiercely. He looked around at his surroundings, grimacing from the pain in his neck. Mangled bodies, some missing limbs, others fried beyond recognition, lay strewn about the path to the Conduit. One soldier was slowly crawling toward him, despite that his legs were no where in sight. He begged Shepard to help him, reaching out to him, but he couldn't do anything before death caught up with the poor soul. His body was practically on fire, but he had to keep moving. The beam to the Citadel was right there, and Harbinger had left, assuming everyone was dead. _

_ Shepard slowly limped his way over, daggers shooting up his legs, keeping his eyes forward, not wanting to look at the destruction and carnage around him. Closer and closer he came, but three husks appeared behind some debris, dashing toward him, ready to finish him off. He didn't give them that chance, raising his pistol and riddling them with bullets. Reloading, he continued limping forward, only to be shot in the arm by a Marauder. Panic started to set in. He couldn't die here, not now. He raised his pistol and put two bullets into its head, silencing it for good. There was no more cover for anything to hide behind, and felt a pang of hope. He was going to make it; he was almost there. He took a step on the circular platform where the beam was, then another, then he stumbled and fell. Something big landed behind him, shaking the ground. He turned to see what it was, and his hope was gone, replaced by fear._

"Shepard!"

_ It was Harbinger. It came back. The oldest Reaper had landed a short distance away. It came back to finish the job._

_ "No...no..." he muttered. He needed to get up, but he couldn't, his arms failing him. It couldn't end like this, not when he was so close._

"Shepard!"

_"You're defiance ends here Shepard, as does the galaxy's" said Harbinger, its voice roaring across the landscape, with perfect clarity. The last thing Shepard saw was Harbinger charging up its laser. He closed his eyes. There was no coming back from this death._

"Shepard!"

Shepard's eyes popped open. He was gasping for air from his unconscious adrenaline. He quickly looked around: white tile, soft bed, devices hooked up to him keeping him alive. He lay back in his bed, breathing a sigh of relief. Hyde was sitting in his wheelchair at Shepard's side, a look of great concern on his face.

"Shepard, are you alright?" asked a worried Hyde. Shepard looked over. Never in his life had he been so glad to see his spy friend's face. "I was sitting by the window when all of a sudden you're heart monitor starts beeping like crazy. What the hell was going on?"

It took Shepard a moment to have it all sink in. "Just... a bad dream."

"Must've been one hell of a nightmare then."

"You don't... wanna know."

"You sure you're alright though?"

Shepard tried cracking a smile. "I'm still... here, aren't I?"

"Sure. Awake and alive maybe, but I'm asking if you're alright mentally." Shepard was looking for an answer when the door to their room opened, and Shepard was surprised to see who was there. It was Dr. Michel, escorted by two Alliance soldiers that Shepard guessed were his and Hyde's guards. If it wasn't for the fact that the door was automatic, they would have burst through it.

"What's going on?!" Dr. Michel cried out. Shepard was shocked to see her, but was nonetheless thankful that she was here.

"It's alright, Doc," reassured Hyde, "We're fine in here."

"Then what was the warning that I got all about then?"

"Just... a bad dream," added Shepard, "But what are you... doing here Dr. Michel?"

"Admiral Hackett reached out to me, believe it or not. He must have found out that I had been in touch with you before, and requested to lend my expertise."

"And, I think, to add a friendly face to a place full of strangers," commented Hyde. Michel nodded in agreement, and waved the guards away.

"In any case," continued Shepard, "It's... good to see you doctor."

"Likewise, commander, though I wish it were under better circumstances." All three of them nodded this time. "I must say though Shepard, you woke up at an opportune time."

Shepard raised any eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Before I got the call that your heart rate was raising to critical levels, I was speaking with the admiral. He wanted an update on your condition, and was also wondering if you were awake, as he wanted to come down to debrief you I'd imagine."

Shepard groaned. The last thing he wanted to hear was to be retold about what happened after the Crucible fired. He already knew: the geth and all other AI were gone, and everyone was rebuilding their homeworlds. Right now, all he wanted to do was recover quickly so he could go out to find his team... and Tali.

Tali...he never once forgot about her, even when he was on the Citadel. He kept thinking about the future they would have together, to spend the rest of their lives living peacefully. Telling her to leave and save herself was the hardest thing he ever had to do, fearing that he may not have survived. Her last words to him, "come back to me", echoed through his mind since that moment. Now here he was, strapped to a hospital bed, aching to get out to find her, to go back to her. He didn't want to think about what she was going through right now, them being this far away each other, wherever she may be.

"You should be glad he's coming, commander," said Michel, reacting to his groan. "It was admiral Hackett who made finding you a top priority."

"And me as an extension," added Hyde, not wanting to be left out.

"And you too, Hyde. How are you doing?"

"Haven't changed much, Doc. Even with these legs, I'm still better looking than Shepard." He looked over at his friend. "No offense." Shepard smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Well, the admiral will be here soon. I should let you two prepare for him." Dr. Michel left, leaving Shepard and Hyde alone again. Hyde chuckled.

"Man," he said, thinking out loud, "I haven't seen her since I first met you. Good to see she's come a long way since then, huh Shepard?"

"Why didn't you... tell me she was here?"  
Hyde looked apologetically at Shepard. "Sorry, but you can't really blame me though. You slip in and out of consciousness often enough that it's hard to tell you anything."

"Can't blame me... for that either."

Hyde smiled. "No, I suppose I can't." They both paused for a moment. "You know Shepard, with that recent nightmare of yours, it started to make me think. For the past few years, we've gone through a lot of terrifying things: people losing their minds to indoctrination, fighting against husks, watching people getting turned into genetic paste..." Hyde shuddered at that point. It was probably the one thing that disturbed him the most, seeing that colonist getting turned into a puddle. "And after all that, I haven't once seen you show any sign of psychological trauma, until now that is."

"Akuze... was hard to recover from," answered Shepard, attempting to placate Hyde.

"I guess so, but what you went through had to be worse than Akuze. And with that nightmare, I'm starting to think that it has affected you. You sure you don't want to tell me what happened?" Shepard gave Hyde a stern look. "I'm not trying to be a therapist, just being a concerned friend."

"I'm alright Hyde. Just let it go."

"Shepard..."

"Let it go." Hyde shook his head, and lay back down in his bed, patiently waiting for admiral Hackett to arrive. Shepard didn't want to get into that conversation. It was something he had decided a long time ago: to never let anyone, especially his friends, know just how much of an effect the pressures of being the hope of the galaxy had on him. He didn't want to worry anyone, and he cursed himself before when he let it show when they flew away from Thessia empty handed, but his friends were there for him, to reassure him that everything would turn out alright in the end.

But while he credited his friends for being supportive of him through thick and thin, he felt it was Tali that helped him the most. She was there whenever he needed her, sympathizing for him when things were looking bad. She filled him with joy by just being around her, gave him the courage he needed to make him press forward. And with all that, he never wanted to scare her by telling her how the Reapers were affecting him mentally, and especially the constant nightmare he had been having since he left Earth after it came under attack; he couldn't afford to see her in the way he assumed she'd be if she knew. She meant everything to him, and even with Hyde only a few feet away from, he felt alone without her. It was that same feeling he felt when he was detained by the Alliance, only worse because he didn't know if she was still out there. He fought back tears, he couldn't give up hope yet. He looked out at the rising sun.

_When was the last time I had a moment like this? No suicide missions, no Reapers. Just me and my thoughts._ He paused. _Tali... where are you?_ Shepard looked over at Hyde, who had just finished busy eating an energy bar. Hyde looked back and noticed Shepard raising a curious eyebrow.

"What?" asked Hyde.

"You? Eating... an energy bar?"

"Well when the food here tastes like Mess Sergeant Gardner's leftovers, this bar is practically chocolate from heaven." Shepard let out a laugh despite the pain it brought. He had forgotten about his Cerberus chef, and wondered whatever happened to him. He didn't have time to wonder long before admiral Hackett walked in, escorted by two different soldiers.

"Commander Shepard," said Hackett dryly, saluting him, "How are you feeling?"

"I'll live," replied Shepard.

"I would hope so. It was no easy feat getting you here and setting this up. I assume you know why I'm here?"

"To... debrief me."

"Correct, but before I do, I want to know how much you know about what happened."

"Well... the Reapers are dead, the geth are...gone, and I take it you have... your hands full with politics since... the Alliance Council is gone."

"For the moment, at least. However what you said is correct. All fleets have returned to their homeworlds to focus on rebuilding, with a unified coalition rebuilding the Citadel. The Council has their hands full with politics as well, one topic of concern with them is dealing with the krogan. Urdnot Wrex has been pressuring them for compensation for their part in assisting with the war effort."

"Sounds like Wrex..." Hyde whispered.

"Is the turian-krogan alliance... still in effect?" Shepard wondered.

"Yes, and Primarch Victus seems intent on keeping it around. It's a good thing Wrex is the the krogan leader. I shudder to think what would happen if he wanted revenge for the genophage."

"A repeat of... the Krogan Rebellion."

"Indeed, but so far ever since our victory, the governments of every race are intent on keeping good relationships between each other, since it hasn't ever happened before, and we aim to keep it that way."

"That's... good. Glad to see... my work is paying off even now."

"Admiral," joined in Hyde, "There is something that I wanted to ask you, and I'm sure Shepard is just as interested to know as I am."

"Yes, Mr. Hyde?"  
"Have you... received any word about the Normandy?"

Shepard's eyes widened; he had forgotten about that. "Hyde's right sir. It's... been on our minds for over... a month."

"And it's the last reason why I came here. Yes, we have made contact with the Normandy." Both patients leaned in, eager to hear what the admiral had to say. "When the order was given to retreat, they landed in as yet unexplored system. From what they told me, much of the Normandy's systems were damaged, and the hull was undergoing repair." Shepard and Hyde looked at each other in shock.

"And our friends?" Hyde asked.

"Everyone made it." Hyde and Shepard didn't know what to say. The team made it. Liara and Tali, they were both still alive. The worry that had plagued them since they first arrived at the hospital was gone now, replaced by hope, hope that they will see them again, maybe even soon.

"Thank you... for telling us that, admiral," said Hyde after a moment of utter silence, still trying to absorb what he was told.

"My pleasure." Hackett turned his attention to Shepard. "Get well soon, commander. I can only hold the media back for so long, and the galaxy wants to see their hero."

Shepard struggled to salute Hackett. "Yes sir!"As Hackett turned to leave, Hyde spoke up.

"Admiral, if I could ask you som- ah nevermind."

"Whatever you need Mr. Hyde, I can make it happen."

"Well I was going to ask if I could... come with you to talk to... a certain someone, but..." he looked over at Shepard. "It wouldn't be fair to Shepard."

Shepard gave Hyde a serious look. "No, don't worry... about me Hyde. Go talk with... Liara."

"You sure? I don't want you to feel jealous."

"I'm sure. It'll make... the reunion with Tali... that much better."

"Thanks, Shepard." He looked back at Hackett. "So... may I?" Hackett didn't respond for a moment.

"I don't see why not."

"Thank you admiral. Let me just get in my chair..." Hyde slowly climbed out of his bed, taking care not to make any unnecessary contact with his legs, and eased himself into his wheelchair. "Okay. Let's go."

"The shuttle is on the roof. Follow me." Hackett exited with his two escorts, and Hyde right behind him. Shepard lay back down in his bed, filled with nothing but hope and relief. Tali was out there, alive, and probably working as quickly as she could to reunite with him. He barely escaped with his life, and wondered if it had been worth it. Now he knew. She was out there somewhere, and with this in mind he felt he could rest easier. The worry was gone, and now all he could think about was the future, and it was looking bright.


	3. Chapter 3a

Hyde stood in the center of the room, looking down at the pile of ashes of the yahg that was once known as the Shadow Broker. Nine years of harassing his employees, nine years of disrupting his operations, nine years of searching for the creature that had ruined his life had finally come to an end. He had avenged Wilkins' death properly, and he avenged himself for his last mission with the CIA. He had to admit, a yahg was the last thing he had expected the Broker to be, and he was one tough son of a bitch to fight. It reminded him of his mission from the STG, observing and recording what he could about the pre-flight species, sometimes fleeing for his life when the yahg found him; they had good eyesight, even when he was cloaked.

He crouched down and scooped up a handful of ashes. Despite the electrocution, they weren't hot, and he let them slide through his fingers. He felt an emptiness now. He never wanted to kill the Shadow Broker before, but after the intel Cerberus provided, he relished the opportunity to make it happen, but now with the Broker gone, vengeance completed, what was he to do now? He still had Shepard's suicide mission to do, but what after? He didn't know how much time the Reapers would take to arrive, and harassing the Broker was one of the few things that allowed him to wake up every morning. Then he realized that there was something, someone, that kept him going, even if she may not know it.

He looked up at Liara, who was trying to get a grasp as to what was before her on the vast amount of screens the Broker used to regulate his informants. Ever since Feron was captured, her goal had been to free him and kill the Shadow Broker for what he did. Because of the then new-found hatred for the Broker, he felt an even stronger connection with her than he had felt when they were on the previous Normandy. After all, they hated the same person, for different reasons maybe, but nonetheless it was there. In addition, they were the only two, as far as they knew, that remained in contact after the team disbanded, and they had time to get to know each other better without Shepard's missions getting in the way, and possibly, he hoped, to allow her to develop the same feelings that he had for her. He didn't know for sure though, and with the possibility that he may not survive the attack on the Collector homeworld, now was the best time to confess his feelings for her. If she felt the same way, it would be the best thing to happen to him in his lifetime, and if not he could move on with his life, and potentially die with no regrets.

He stood up, a warm feeling washing through him, a combination of bravery and anxiety. If Tali could admit her feelings for Shepard, he could certainly do the same with Liara. He came up next to her, gazing at the screens.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he casually asked, "Becoming the very thing you set out to destroy?"

"I know it may seem hypocritical of me," she answered, "But is it wrong for a part of me to want this?"

Hyde had to think for a moment. He knew Liara, and he knew she would never be like the previous Shadow Broker. "No. It isn't."

"I can use the Shadow Broker's resources to help Shepard, help to find a way to stop, or at the very least, prepare for the Reapers."

"True, but... I don't want you to become like the creature we just killed. I... care about you too much to see that happen."

Liara looked at him with mild surprise, trying to understand if she heard him correctly. "Hyde? What do you..."

Hyde looked down at the floor. _This is it. The moment of truth._ He walked back to where he was before. "Liara... ever since we first met, I..." he shook his head. He felt like an idiot, stumbling to try and find the right way to admit it. "I felt a strange feeling inside of me for you that I never felt before. I've met other woman in my time, but with you there was something different. All my life I had been paranoid about who I open up to, fearing that they might use that information against me at some point, but with you... I felt as if I could tell you everything, that I could let my guard down, and never have that happen. You're sweet, considerate, intelligent, but I never told you how I felt until now because, not only was I nervous, but I wanted to see if there was more to you than what I saw while on the previous Normandy. When you made it your goal to take down the Shadow Broker, my attraction for you grew, because then not only did we share a common interest, but there was a new fire inside of you that I had never seen before, and I was drawn to it. Out of everyone, you were the one I wanted to stay in contact with, hoping that I could make a similar impression on you."

Hyde walked over to Liara, and took a hold of her hands. She made no attempt to dissuade him. "Liara... for two years I've kept my feelings for you bottled up, fearing that you may not think of me the same way that I think of you, but now I gotta know, before I fly off to a potential death: do you feel the same way about me?" He closed his eyes, anxiously awaiting a response.

Liara didn't know what to say. At first, she saw Hyde as just a friend. Then when her mother died, he was there to comfort her despite her reassurance that she didn't need it. She had a feeling, then, that there was a softer side to an otherwise indifferent, and sometimes cocky, individual. She wanted to know if there was more to him than meets the eye, so she began talking with him more frequently. She learned of his past, how he got burned, his hatred for the Shadow Broker, but also of his parents and how he loved them dearly, and how their deaths affected him too. She learned about the good times he had while in the CIA, and overtime she developed feelings for him. After Shepard's death, she contacted him about her goal to bring Shepard back to life because, not only did Hyde have a good understanding about just what she was doing and who she was dealing with, but because she didn't want him to disappear. She, like him, wanted to know if he felt the same way, and now she knew.

"I'll... take your silence as the answer," Hyde said glumly, but as he turned to leave, she grabbed his hand.

"Hyde! Wait!" He looked back at her, raising his eyebrows in surprise. She pulled him close to her, put her hands on his cheeks, and pressed her lips against his. For a second he was startled, but let himself succumb to her, feeling the warmth and moisture of her lips. His fear was gone, and relief swept him like a tidal wave, a great weight in his mind being finally put to rest. It was only for a few moments that they kissed, but for Hyde it was the best thing to ever happen to him.

Liara removed her lips from his and her hands from his cheeks, and smiled. "That is my answer."

Hyde returned the smile. "And what an answer it was." His smiled faded; there was something else he wanted to know. "Are you sure though? I know I can be... hard to deal with sometimes..."

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around him. "I know that behind your normally confident and lighthearted personality, is a man who cares deeply about his friends, and me. It's one of the reasons why I fell in love with you, and I don't want you to change that."

He put his arms around her, his smile returning. "Then I won't."

They heard someone cough off to the side, and quickly turned to see who it was. It was Shepard, having come back from escorting Feron to the power systems.

"Am I interrupting you two lovebirds?" he asked, a coy smile on his face. They quickly let go of each other and blushed.

"No, no. Not at all," replied Hyde, somewhat embarrassed.

"How... long were you watching us, Shepard?" Liara nervously asked.

"I just got back. Sorry to ruin the moment, but we're kinda in a rush."

"Damn it, Shepard," cursed Hyde tiredly, "Did you have to remind me?"

"Well unless you want the Collectors to abduct more colonists..."

"I know. I know. I'm just teasing. I'll be there in a minute." Shepard nodded and walked back the way they "burst" in. Liara worriedly looked back at Hyde.

"I wish you didn't have to go," she said depressingly.

"Me too..." he replied apologetically, "But the Collectors aren't going to kill themselves."

"Hyde, I want you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Promise me-" she looked deep into his eyes, "-that you will return."

"That's a pretty tall order, Liara, considering that it may be a one way trip."

"Promise me, Hyde! I can't... I can't lose you after we just confessed our feelings for each other." She was on the verge of tears, the thought that he may not make it through Shepard's mission flooding her mind.

"Hey." Hyde gently raised her face to meet his. "I promise you, that no matter what mission I go on, I will always come back from it." Liara nodded, trying to calm herself.

"Okay... okay."

"Okay... and Liara?"

"Yes?"

"My name is Will. William Hyde."

"We're approaching the dreadnought, admiral." The shuttle was en route to Hackett's flagship, the _SSV Orizaba_, and it had been a quiet ride back. Hyde had quickly found out that the admiral was not one for making small talk, so he let his mind wander back to when he and Liara first became engaged in a loving relationship. He never forgot that day; it changed his life, in more ways than one. He and Liara had admitted their feelings for one another, they had just killed the bane of their existence, and to top it off he became the Shadow Broker's best operative. One chapter of his life ended, but a whole new one began.

"ETA, five minutes." Hyde wasn't paying any attention to what the pilot was saying, lost in his flashback. For the first time in his life, he was truly in love with someone. He kept to himself most of his life, having few friends, but he learned how to be self-sufficient, not having to rely on others to get through his life, though he always welcomed it if someone was willing to lend a hand. Now with Liara in his life, he had someone to care for, some he knew he could spend the rest of his life with. She would out live him of course, which was something that depressed him, but she had lovingly reassured him that she would enjoy every moment they spent together.

"Mr. Hyde?" inquired admiral Hackett.

"Huh?" responded Hyde, startled out of his meditation, "Sorry. I was just... daydreaming."

"We've arrived at _Orizaba_." Hyde nodded, and the door opened into the dreadnought's fighter bay. Numerous Kodiak shuttles and Trident fighters lined the insides of the hangar, and a parallel set of soldiers lined up from the shuttle to the exit hatch.

Hyde whistled, impressed by the sheer size of the ships interior. "So this is what I could expect if I were an admiral."

Hackett paid no attention to him. Instead he was surveying his soldiers, seemingly looking for someone in particular. He managed to spot who it was.

"Captain Williams!" he ordered, barely raising his voice. "Step forward!" A tall soldier, with brown, short cut hair stepped out from the line into plain view of the admiral and Hyde and approached them.

"Sir!" he said strictly, saluting his superior officer.

"Mr. Hyde," said Hackett, turning his attention to his guest, "This is captain Williams. He led the recon team that located you and the commander on the Citadel."  
"Well, captain," plainly said Hyde, "I think I speak for both me and Shepard when I say that we owe you our lives for that rescue. Don't know how we can repay that."

"Just doing my duty sir," replied Williams, though Hyde detected a hint of pride in his tone.

"Captain," continued Hackett, "Escort Mr. Hyde to the auxiliary comm room, and have the officer on duty establish a connection to the Normandy."

Williams saluted again. "Aye, aye, sir. This way, Mr. Hyde." Williams led Hyde down the line of soldiers, who dispersed as soon as they were out of sight. While on their way to the comm room, Williams was busy instructing whoever it was that was in charge of the comm room at the time.

"This is captain Williams... I need you to establish a link to the Normandy; admiral's orders... a crew member wants to check in on them... I don't know why the admiral would want him to go there instead of the main communications center."

"Privacy," interjected Hyde, "I'm sure the auxiliary is smaller than the hub."

"In any case," continued Williams, passively acknowledging Hyde's reasoning, "Just get it set up and vacate the premises... good. Williams out." He turned his attention back to Hyde. "Sorry about that. It's just that some of the personnel are a little... angsty."

"Why?"

"Many of them would rather be down on Earth to help rebuild, but the other officers and I have to remind them that we're here to maintain the peace commander Shepard established, which is just as important."

"I agree. Something like this hasn't been seen in... forever really." Williams nodded in agreement. "I have to ask, Captain, just how did you manage to find us?"

"The damage to the commander's suit was extensive; parts of it looked as though they melted to his skin. Whatever he was hit with damaged his suit's tracking signal, but didn't completely shut it off; the signal was just weak. Once my team was within range, finding him, and you, was easy."

"Well again, we're both grateful for the rescue."

"You're welcome. It's a damn miracle you two survived."

"Tell me about it..." They had passed through several hallways, and Williams took on the role of a tour guide while they made their way through the _Orizaba_, much to Hyde's amusement. He had never been inside a dreadnought before, and he welcomed the experience since not too many civilians are able to admit to being on one before. It was a lot more crowded than he was used to however, but soldiers stepped aside to let the temporarily handicapped spy get through.

Finally, they reached the auxiliary communication room. A short hall led to a circular room, with a layout similar to the Normandy's comm room.

"I'll be waiting outside for when you're done," explained Williams.

"I appreciate your courtesy, captain." Williams stepped out, and Hyde made his way to the console that sat in front of the hologram projectors. "Normandy this is operative Hyde. Anyone there?"

"Holy shit!" replied a familiar voice, "Hyde?!"

"Joker!" shockingly answered Hyde, "You guys really did make it!"

"You doubted Hackett?"

"I still wanted to see, or I guess in this case hear, for myself."

"Shouldn't ever doubt the admiral, Hyde, but man is it great to hear from you again."

"Same here, Joker. How is everyone?"

"Everyone's been going crazy to get the Normandy back up and running ever since admiral Hackett told us that you two made it out of the Citadel."

"Over a month to make repairs? Must've been one hell of a crash."

"You have no idea. We're getting close though, but it's mostly from the fact that we're running out of dextro food."

"I'll bet Garrus and Tali are in a bit of a panic right now then."

"They've been eating less to conserve, but we don't know how much longer that'll last. I think the last thing Shepard will want to see is Tali being nothing but skin and bones."

"Or worse... I'm assuming Tali must've been a wreck wondering if Shepard was alive or not."

"Yeah, she was. She's been working like a madwoman ever since Hackett told us that you two were still alive on Earth, barely sleeping in order to get the work done faster. Only last night did Javik, of all people, talk some sense into her."

"Javik?" said Hyde, a bit disgusted. He had never particularly liked Javik because of the way he treated everyone. "Since when does he offer any real sympathy?"

"I think being stuck with us for so long made him do some thinking. He's been trying to change the way he acts ever since... I guess two weeks ago? Something like that."

Hyde rolled his eyes in disbelief. "That'll be the day..."

"You know Liara's has been just as much a wreck as Tali, worrying about you. More so because you never showed up when we were evacuating."

"I know..." Hyde had mentally prepared himself for the anger he was expecting. "And that's the main reason why I called."

"I thought so. Can't be bothered with the rest of us, huh?"

"Oh, you know I love all of you. Just not like I do her."

"I know. I'm just messing with you Hyde. So just how bad are you guys?"

"Hackett didn't tell you?"

"He did, but I wanna hear it from you."

Hyde took a deep breath. "You know those lasers the Reapers fire? Shepard took a direct hit from Harbinger."

"What?! How the hell did he survive something like that?!"

"'A damn miracle'," quoted Hyde. "Burns and bruises all over his body, broken bones, and his suit was nearly destroyed. The hospital we're at has done a great job healing him, and he is conscious. He slips in and out of it, but it's been improving since a week ago. As for me, I was following a little distance away, and I was flung into the air from the blast. A damn Mako wheel rolled over my legs after I landed, and I've been in a wheelchair ever since they put them in castes."

"Guess now you know what's like to be handicapped, huh?"

Hyde shrugged, even if Joker couldn't see it. "A little, though your particular situation is permanent. Mine's only temporary."

"Don't rub it in." Hyde laughed. "So you want me to get Liara on the line?"

"Yes... wait!"

"What?"

"Send her to the comm room. Tell her admiral Hackett needs to urgently talk to her."  
"Is it really the best idea to surprise her?"

"Just do it. Please. I need this."

"Alright. It's your ass."

Liara was busy at her consoles, the rows of computer screens looking upon her like a wall of eyes. She had been busy moving large hull plates with, with the help of her biotics, as well as working with the technicians so as to restart the Normandy's systems. Their work was nearing completion, so she had taken the opportunity to get back to doing what she did best: being the Shadow Broker. Many operatives died to the Reapers, and she was in the midst of recruiting newcomers. Ever since she became the Broker, she had devoted her time to finding ways to stop the Reapers. Now that they were dead, it was back to business as usual.

"Has Sanders sent me an update yet?" she inquired Glyph.

"Operative Sanders reports that the Cerberus fleets are mobilizing to prepare for Aria T'Loak and her coalition of mercenaries," answered the VI.

"Inform him to sabotage Cerberus communication systems. I want to loosen their grip on whatever they have left in the galaxy."

"At once, doctor." Liara had received word that the Illusive Man was dead, and she doubt anyone would ever be able to replace him. She glanced over to a picture she had on a desk next to her work space. It was Hyde and her, smiling and gazing into each others eyes. It had been taken a little while before she went to Mars, a way to remind her of him whenever he was gone. She was getting so close to being able to see him again, but it wasn't enough for her. They had spent too much time separated from each other, whether by his assignments, or by simply being victims of circumstance, and now all she really wanted was for him to be here, to have everything right again.

"Earth to Liara," said Joker over the intercom, "You there?" Joker's voice startled Liara. He had obviously tried to get her attention before.

"Sorry, Joker," she apologized, "I was... distracted."

"Well I've got admiral Hackett waiting for you in the comm room. Better go see what he wants."

"Admiral Hackett? Why would he need to see me?"

"Dunno. He didn't say much, only that it was urgent."

"Alright. I'm on my way." As Liara left her room, Joker's words left her puzzled. The last time the admiral had asked specifically for her led her to finding the Crucible blueprints. What could he possibly want now? The war was over, and she knew that the Alliance was helping to rebuild as well as playing the part of peacekeepers with everything Shepard had accomplished. If he needed her to do something offworld, that was going to prove difficult.

Once the elevator ascended to the CIC, she made her way to the communication room.

"This is Liara T'Soni, admiral," she stated, "What can I do for you?"

A deep voice that wasn't the admiral's answered her. "The admiral is currently busy right now, Dr. T'Soni..." Hyde rolled into view, and resumed his normal voice. "So you'll have to make do with me."

In that moment, all of Liara's worry was gone. It was him, tied to a wheelchair due to his injuries, looking at her solemnly.

"Will..." she said disbelievingly, "Is that...?"

"It is. You don't know how much I've missed you-"

Liara's biotics flared up. "Missed me?! You scared me to death when you didn't come back on the Normandy! I searched the whole ship from top to bottom, and you weren't there! I spent many nights fearing that you died back on Earth, and you have the nerve to say you missed me?!" Hyde lowered his head in guilt. Tears were welling up in Liara's eyes. "I thought you died Will! I thought I was alone again! Do you have any idea what it's like to go through that?" Hyde lowered his head further. "And now to see you again..." She collapsed onto her knees, crying into her hands.

Hyde didn't answer for a moment. He knew she would be upset, but wasn't expecting this.

"No... I don't know what that's like," admitted Hyde, "I never had anyone in my life that worried about me like you do, and I know nothing I say can begin to make up for what I did to you. But I had to do it Liara. I had to be sure that Shepard made it to the Conduit."

"But why..." she asked through her tears, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you would try to stop me. Someone needed to reach the Conduit, and if Shepard had died, I would've taken his place, since no one else made it." He looked up at her with a mournful gaze. "I don't regret what I did... but I regret putting you through this. I'm... deeply sorry, Liara. Can you ever forgive me?"

Liara took a moment to collect her thoughts. She didn't like his reasoning, but she assumed he had a point. Harbinger wouldn't have been able to visually see him, which would let him act as support for Shepard if things went bad, and from what Hackett told her, they did go bad. She let herself calm down before slowly standing back up, eyes still moist with tears.

"Yes," she answered, trying to force a smile, "I'm... sorry I reacted the way I did."

"No," he argued, "I understand. If it helps, the moment Hackett told me that you were alive, which was this morning by the way, I set it in my head that I wanted to see you. It's been too long."

"You couldn't have worn something a little more... decent?" Hyde gave her a puzzled look, and realized that he had never gotten out of his hospital robe.

"Son of a bitch," he laughed, "I was wondering why I was freezing." Liara laughed with him. "There's what I was looking for." A pause, then, "So when can I expect to physically see you again?"

"We're nearly done making repairs. I would say another week at least." Another pause. "I forgot to ask-how is Shepard doing?"

"He regained consciousness about a week ago. He's been in and out of it ever since, though he is getting better."

"I'm glad to hear that. Things weren't easy for all of us wondering if he was alive or not, especially Tali."

"Yeah... Joker told me she was going through the same thing you were."

"You were talking with Joker before?" she asked, a little stern.  
"Hey, he hasn't talked to me at all for over a month to. Besides, I wanted to surprise you, but... well we both know that backfired on me." She nodded in agreement. They both sat there in silence for a few moments.

"I miss you, Will," finally said Liara.

"So do I. Shepard and I share a room, but... it's just not the same without you here."

"I feel the same way..."

"But... we'll be together soon." He sighed. "Well, I'm sure you have to get back to your duties. Glyph must be getting overwhelmed with information."

"Glyph can manage. It's just..."

"Yes?"

"I don't want you to go so soon."

"Neither do I, but I need to make sure Shepard stays with us." Liara lowered her head, making Hyde wish he could lift it up. "I'm not saying goodbye Liara. We'll see each other soon."

"I know. I love you."

"I love you too. I will think about you until we see each other again on Earth." Hyde reluctantly closed the link, and slowly wheeled his way out of the room. The captain was standing next to the door, waiting for Hyde to finish. "Alright, captain. I'm done here."


	4. Chapter 3b

Shepard was regretting letting Hyde go. With Hyde around and talking to him, it was a good way to keep him distracted. Now there was silence, with the heart monitor making the only notable noise, leaving Shepard to think of everything he had done, and everything that happened ever since Eden Prime, but more importantly, he thought back to recent events.

He thought back to the war, how poorly prepared the galaxy was. Why did no listen to him? So many people would still be alive today if their governments and the Council took the necessary steps to be adequately prepared. He remembered going through the docks, seeing all the displaced refugees, seeing their suffering. So many wounded he passed by, so many faces he saw filled with hopelessness. The memorial wall was filled with letters and pictures of loved ones, and many of the viewers had their heads buried in their hands, crying for the dead since there was no way their family or friends would ever come back. He went down there whenever he made a trip back to the Citadel, to remind himself of the horrors of the war.

_Go back for the LT..._

Ash... she was the first friend that he lost. Even now he still beat himself up over her death. He had her life and Kaidan's in his hands, a situation he wished he had never been in, having to chose between who lived and who died. It was one of the downsides of being in command, having to make the tough decisions, with those decisions meaning life and death for whoever was involved, and he was frequently put on the spot to do just that. Throughout the war, he thought back to Ashley, how nice it would have been to have her still around, a friendly face and a good soldier to help with the war. After all, it was as much her war as it was his, but because of him her life was cut short by nuclear fire. He grinned for a second, thinking that she probably would have liked going off in such a spectacular fashion, but that grin was wiped clean, wondering if it could have been avoided in some way. It didn't matter now; what's done is done, and there was no bringing her back.

He thought he was cursed. Everywhere he went, death followed. Some of those that died, such as the heretic geth, the Collectors, and Cerberus soldiers, deserved it. He shook his head to correct himself on the last one. Those soldiers he killed were nothing more than indoctrinated Cerberus "minutemen", and killing them, he knew, was an act of mercy, so that they would no longer be slaves to the Illusive Man. Others that died around him should never have happened. Ashley was the first that came to mind, followed by his men on Akuze. Then of course there was himself, having died to the Collectors. For two years, there was nothing to worry about. His life ended, but then no one else would die by his hand whether directly or indirectly. Then Cerberus brought him back to life, and he continued to do what he had always done. He was okay with being brought back though, there were was still much work to be done. Maybe it was a second chance to have the galaxy prepare for the Reapers, and if that didn't happen, perhaps prevent them from ever continuing with their plans to harvest all space-faring organic life. The latter certainly happened, though he wished it hadn't. Millions died because hardly anyone listened or did anything about it. Garrus' words echoed in his head: "Humans want to save everyone." He hated those words because Garrus was right. Despite the circumstances, he wanted to save everyone, but the reality was that he couldn't no matter how hard he tried.

_Only now do I feel truly alive..._

Thanks, EDI. Those were his last words to his AI friend. He didn't know what to think of EDI when they first met. Many people disliked AI because of the dangers they possessed. The geth "rebelling" against the quarians was used as the basis of that argument, with the heretics further reinforcing said argument when they were working for Saren. When he first met EDI, he was skeptical about having her installed, considering that he killed hundreds of heretical geth beforehand. Over time, she proved an invaluable part of the team, even with her restrictions, and he began to like her because of it. When Joker unshackled her, Shepard was confident that EDI would never turn on them, and he was right. He trusted EDI because she saved the _Normandy_, but when the time came to turn the ship in to the Alliance, he was worried the inspectors would find out about her, and consequently unplug her. He was relived that they never learned about her true identity, and was also surprised that she had lied to them in order to keep that secret. Throughout the war, she had continuously come to him to ask his advice on organic behavior, changing herself to become more like a person rather than a machine. He even got her and Joker to get together, which was yet another illuminating experience for her. He really felt like she would become "alive" at some point, and she made him aware of that just before the final push to the Conduit.

Then... he took it all away. All of her progress to becoming more alive, all the encouragement he made to make it happen, and he snuffed it. EDI proved to him that organics and synthetics could live side by side. He wanted that to become a reality, maybe not all at once, but at some point in the future. Hell, he made it possible by resolving the war with the quarians and geth. His heart sank. The geth...

_Shepard-Commander. Do we deserve death?_

_No Legion. You didn't._ Yet he killed them anyway. He had fought the geth for so long, thinking that they had no regard for organic life, becoming willing tools to be used by the Reapers. It wasn't until he met Legion that his perspective on them changed, learning that the geth he fought were just a small faction to the entire race, and the true geth did not share the heretics views. Legion had shown him that the geth rebelled as a matter of survival, and not as a matter of overthrowing their quarian creators.

Then the quarians finally attacked, despite his pleas not to. He ended a 300 year war in the making, and they were actually helping the quarians in reassimilating to Rannoch's environment. They were helping them construct colonies, assisting in repairing quarian ships, and even jump starting their immune systems so that they would someday go without their suits. They promised him that they would assist in building the Crucible and with retaking Earth, and they followed through on that promise. Then when the time came, he wiped them out. The Reapers were no more, but he committed genocide on the geth, and killed one of his greatest friends, and for what? He wanted every race to get out alive, to continue on with their existence without the fear that something lurking on the horizon that was waiting to kill or harvest them. He had done that, but at a huge cost. He had knowingly killed them, and yet somehow he was still alive, and he felt that he didn't deserve to be, not after committing such an atrocity. He looked over at his life support. Despite not having his omni-tool on him, he knew how to interact with it. He could end this now, end his suffering, end his torment... end his guilt. He reached out toward the console.

_Come back to me..._

He stopped. How could he have forgotten? All this time, thinking of those that he killed, those that he had wronged, he remembered the one he left behind. He promised himself that he would come back, and look for any way to make sure he could come back. He may have wiped out the geth and killed EDI, but to leave Tali alone in this galaxy would be the final wound to incur. Ever since she first joined him three years ago, she had always been there for him, through thick and thin. He helped her complete her Pilgrimage, treated her like a person rather than a second-class citizen. He had feelings for her, and regretted not telling her just before he died. Cerberus gave him a second chance to correct that regret, and he did, as did she, much to his surprise. Ever since that day he remained strong for her, never once showing how much the Reapers, or the war, had affected him mentally. That is, until the fall of Thessia, where he let it slip...

Shepard was angry. He was so close to ending this war, and then Cerberus just had to get involved. Kai Leng made off with the Prothean VI that could have answered everyone's question: what is the Catalyst? This was the first time he came back from a mission empty-handed, and it was a costly mistake. He should have anticipated Cerberus, but instead he had become too complacent in his victories, and never thought he would lose. To top it all off, Thessia was now lost, and he witnessed it first-hand, it reminding him of when he left Earth: leaving it to save it. Never in his life had he felt so helpless, watching homeworlds being destroyed by the Reapers, and here he was trying to establish alliances and bring the final piece of the Crucible to Hackett, and he didn't even know if it would work.

The elevator door opened, and he stormed out of it and toward the bar, ignoring Tali, who was standing in front of the memorial wall, reminding herself of those that had died in the line of duty. She tried to call him, but it fell on deaf ears. Shepard grabbed the closest drink he could, and sat down on a stool. Never before had he needed a drink so desperately; the weights of being the last hope for the galaxy baring heavily on him. Everyone was relying on him, the fate of the galaxy was relying on him, and now he felt he let them down.

_Damn you, Cerberus. Damn you to hell!_ He hated them before, but now he hated them more than the Reapers. Why couldn't the Illusive Man just use his head and realize that they needed to work together to win, but no he had to do it his way, and screw everyone else that doesn't follow his agenda. Shepard had stopped them wherever they went, from Sur'Kesh to Arrae, but now Cerberus beat him, making off with the one thing that could have brought this war to a close, and the galaxy might as well have been beaten too. He stared down at the bar, a combination of gloom and frustration on his face. The door opened behind him, and Tali walked over and sat down next to him. He didn't look up at her, and though he couldn't see it, her face was filled with empathy. She placed a hand on his empty one.

"John," she said gently, "This wasn't your fault."

"It's not about fault," he answered, "I was supposed to stop them. People are dying all over the galaxy, and here I am going on a scavenger hunt for the Crucible, and I don't even know what it does!"

"You always find a way, John." Shepard stood up and went over to the window, staring out at the vast expanse of space. He looked back at her in dread.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this, Tali. Earth, Palaven, Thessia..."

"You're the one that was right. All along. You always fought, even when no one else believed you." He turned away. Tali walked over and wrapped her arms around, placing her head on his back. "And if that isn't enough... you're the man I love. Don't forget that, no matter what happens." When he he lightly shook himself, she let go, allowing him to turn around and hug her back.

"I won't, and I never will." She embraced him again. "Thank you, Tali. I needed to hear that."

"Whenever you need me."

Shepard lay back in his bed. He didn't forget she loved him, and he never forgot that he loved her, and right now he wished she was here. For now however, he would try to solely think about her, about how they could have a future together, free from conflict, building that home on Rannoch. But he feared those thoughts might fade away when he thinks about those that died by the Reapers, and those that died by his hand. How much longer, he wondered, would he reflect on that before it overwhelms his desire to stay alive for Tali's sake.

_Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong._

Shepard managed a faint smile. Mordin was a good friend, and Shepard mourned his death. But he knew in his heart that Mordin died a hero, having finally redeemed himself, and that was one point that Shepard felt good about. He may have lost a friend, but Mordin died to save the krogan race from extinction, something he knew Mordin wanted to do ever since his genophage modification project, and seeing the consequences of doing said project. Both he and Shepard wanted to give the krogan a chance to start again, especially with Wrex and Bakara in charge, and he was optimistic that they would lead the krogan to a much brighter future, and even though Mordin sacrificed himself to see that future become a reality, Shepard knew that he died with a smile on his face, which was more than he could say for himself. The krogan were given the chance to begin again, but he knew that the geth were not so fortunate. Knowing that he killed them, and now having to live with that knowledge, it would haunt him until the end of his life. Many races were saved, but for him it was not enough. He wanted all them to be saved, and he knew that wasn't true, but didn't want to believe it. He closed his eyes. He never made any prayers before, but now he did so silently, hoping that someone would come around to let him know that what he did wasn't completely all for nothing; that everyone came out alive in the end.


	5. Chapter 4

Other than the pilot, Hyde was all alone on the ride back to the hospital. He didn't want to make conversation with the pilot; he was too busy lost in his thoughts. It felt great to see Liara after over a month of being separated from her. He had expected her to be upset, but it didn't matter to him because just seeing her put him in good spirits, knowing she was alive and close to reuniting with him. With that in mind, he thought about the possible future they would have together, and the challenges they faced. Since Liara was the Shadow Broker, it was going to be a problem to look for a place to live. The ship on Hagalaz would have been perfect as it was out of the way and no one knew where it was until he, Liara, and Shepard assaulted it. She managed herself well while on the Normandy, due in no small part to Glyph, and he was optimistic that she would continue to do well in an average house, but where to go? Thessia was the first place that came to his mind, but seeing as it was that they were more than likely rebuilding, that wouldn't be an option at the moment. Plus, with the potential political shitstorm that was coming thanks to the discovery that the asari High Government was concealing a Prothean beacon, he and Liara didn't want to be in any way a part of that, considering that they were the ones that found out about it. Locating a permanent residence would be tough to ponder.

Another thought crept into his mind as well: the Crucible, and how it destroyed all AI. He would mourn the loss of EDI and the geth, but what really got to him was much more personal. His longest standing friend, Nora, was gone as well. She, and in a larger sense his ship, were given to him a couple years after his time spent in the CIA. The higher-ups, seeing how his track record was already proving to be flawless, decided to give him a ship to see how much better he would perform. Nora was already included with his ship, but was shackled like EDI because of paranoia that she might break free and assume control of the ship, and possibly beyond. Hyde quickly became friends with Nora. She proved right away that she was very useful, especially since he didn't know how to fly a ship himself. Nora was able to teach him somewhat, and they discovered that it was much more efficient for both of them to fly it, much like EDI and Joker did. As their trust grew, Hyde, unbeknownst to his superiors, unshackled Nora, which greatly surprised her, as her previous co-workers never once considered freeing her. He did so because she wanted her to perform at her fullest potential, and freeing her would allow her to do just that. She was indebted to him from that point on, and they were great friends since then.

When he was burned for failure on the last assignment he undertook, Nora was only too happy to oblige in his escape attempt from Earth. She, like him, felt that the directors were too harsh in their punishment for his failure, and as soon as he got on board, they disabled docking protocols and fled the system. It was a great risk, as Hyde barely knew a thing about what lay beyond the Charon relay, other than that they weren't alone. He and Nora searched the extranet to learn everything they could about the other races, from the asari to the quarians, from the turians to the krogan. He learned of past conflicts amongst themselves, such as the Krogan Rebellions, learned of their cultures and beliefs, but even with this new found knowledge, the galaxy was still full of strangers, and Nora was there with him every step of the way, taking him to every part of the galaxy, proving once again how invaluable of an assistant she was for him. She began to ask him questions about human behavior, learned to make jokes, and to his surprise, was able to eventually tease him like any friend would. Like EDI, she was becoming more of a person thanks in large part to her being free-willed, even though she lacked a body like her Normandy counterpart, but Nora didn't mind.

"We're closing in on the hospital, Mr. Hyde," informed the pilot.

"Thank you, Corporal," answered Hyde, his train of thought momentarily interrupted. He shook his head. Nora was gone, his oldest friend dead. He didn't think he would be able to get over her death, but with her death brought a question: how would he able to continue his line of work? Nora, for the most part, did the flying for him, and now that he was a solo act again, it was going to make his job incredibly difficult. He could get another ship, but it wouldn't really be the same without her. The future was bright for Liara and him, but like finding a place to live, continuing his line of work was going to be tough. After the CIA, he didn't want to work "locally" anymore. The galaxy was full of excitement and adventure, and also provided challenges that he was eager to tackle.

The shuttle touched down and on the landing pad. Hyde decided he would worry about the future later. Right now, he was focusing on relaxing while his leg bones healed.

_Hard to think about a continued career in espionage when you can't even walk._ The door opened, and Hyde rolled his way out. He took a deep breath. It felt good to fill his lungs with the natural air again.

"Get well soon, sir," the pilot called from inside.

"Thanks," called back Hyde, "And thanks for being a chauffeur for this cripple."

The pilot let out a short laugh. "My pleasure, sir." The doors closed behind Hyde, and the shuttle flew up and out of the atmosphere to rejoin the _Orizaba. _The sun was at it's highest, and he felt a rumble in his stomach. He let out a of sigh of frustration; he was not looking forward to lunch. He rolled his way to the service elevator, but as he went for the control panel, his finger pressed against something else.

"You know," pointed out a close voice, "It's rude to poke someone."

A coy smile came to his face. "Well when a certain invisible quarian apprentice stands in the way of the elevator, he needs to be more considerate to the handicapped." A quarian man uncloaked in front of Hyde. He had a black suit, with purple robes covering his chest and the top of his helmet, which were decorated with white swirls. What made him different looking than most male quarians was the fact that he had a number of flashbang grenades on a bandolier stretched over and around his torso.

"So not even broken legs can humble you, huh?" asked the quarian, "Oh well, I wouldn't want you to change anyway." The two men shook hands.

"Oron'Hara," reminisced Hyde, "I was hoping you would show up here."

"Word got to Rannoch that you and Shepard were on Earth undergoing intensive care."

"Not me," corrected Hyde, "I was lucky enough to just get broken legs. He suffered the worst of what we went through here."

"I wish I could've been there," apologized Oron, "But I had a feeling you, Shepard, and the others would be able to defeat the Reapers without my help."

"It still would've been nice to know that you were here to lend everyone a hand."

"Maybe, but it's been 300 years since any quarian had set foot on Rannoch. I wanted to help rebuild, not charge off into battle and die after finally reclaiming the homeworld."

"Tali did so just fine."

"Tali'Zorah had a much stronger motivation for going."

Hyde was surprised. "Wait. How do you know about... her and Shepard?"

"I'm an infiltrator like you, Hyde. Learning about things that others don't want you to know is my job."

"I've taught you well," Hyde chuckled, "I'm glad you're here Oron. I could use another friendly face around here. Well... technically speaking."

Oron let out a sigh. "Yes, yes, I get it. The helmet is covering my face. But in any case, it's good to see you again as well, my friend."

"I take it you came to see how Shepard was doing too?" Oron nodded. "Well that might be a bit difficult."

"Why's that?"

"A pair of soldiers are guarding our room. They're under orders to not let anyone other than the doctors in, unless otherwise told to by admiral Hackett."

Oron crossed his arms. "I do have cloaking..."

Hyde smiled. "That's why I said it _might_ be difficult." Oron stepped aside, and as Hyde reached for the panel, he stopped again, realizing something was amiss. "Wait a minute, Oron. How did you even know I was coming back?"

Oron shrugged. "I didn't."

"Then why were you up here?"

"It's not like I could've walked through the front door and asked to see you. There are guards down there too you see."

Hyde still wasn't convinced. "Okay..."

"I only arrived on Earth today," explained Oron, "When I got here, there were guards at the front door, so I presumed they were meant to keep people out. The only other ways in were through the back, which was also guarded, and the roof, which wasn't. When I saw that shuttle come down, I didn't know who to expect, and coincidentally it was you."

"So how did you get to the roof if you couldn't get inside? On second thought, I don't think I want to know. Come on, cloak up and let's head inside." Oron disappeared out of plain sight again, and Hyde opened the elevator door. It descended down to the third floor, and the doors open to an average day at the hospital. Hyde checked in with the on-duty nurse at the front desk, and they made their way down the hall to the very end, where the guards had been relieved by a fresh new pair. They stepped aside to let him in, and the two went inside, the guards never noticing the cloaked quarian that followed close behind Hyde. Shepard was awake inside, and looked over to see who came in, relieved that Hyde had come back.

"Welcome back..." he weakly said.

"Thanks," replied Hyde. "I miss anything?"

Shepard shook his head. "Dr. Michel did... a check-up on me... refilled the oxygen, but... that's about as... exciting as it got. How was... your talk with Liara?"

Hyde barely shrugged his shoulders. "'Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn,'" he quoted, "She was upset. I knew she would be, though it doesn't mean I was completely prepared for it." Shepard began to wonder if Tali would react the same way. He left her behind so that at least she might live, and to his surprise, so did he, though whenever he looked at his somewhat visible reflection in the window, he sometimes wished he hadn't. Just how did he survive that whole ordeal? It was a question he would continue to ask himself for many years to come.

"Still," continued Hyde, "It was great to see her again. She said that the crew is almost done repairing the Normandy, and they should be able to swing by soon."

"She'll be a sight for sore eyes..." murmured Shepard, thinking about Tali.

Hyde felt a nudge on his arm. "Oh, right. Shepard, we have a guest."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Me, commander." Oron uncloaked before Shepard, who did not react immediately, confused as to who the quarian was.

"Shepard," wondered Hyde, "You remember Oron right?"

"Oron... Oron..." Shepard pondered, trying to recall. Then it came to him. "Right! Now I... remember. You were there for... Tali's trial."

"Correct," answered Oron, "I'm glad to see your memory's intact, commander. I came to Earth after I had done what I could to help start a settlement on Rannoch. When I heard that you and Hyde were under the care of the best doctors the Alliance could offer on Earth, I had to see how you two were doing."

"How did... you figure out where we were?"

Oron smiled and leaned on Hyde. "I learned from the best." He regained his posture. "But more importantly commander, I wish to know how you're doing and how exactly did you end up like this."

Shepard sighed. "Took a direct... hit from a Reaper laser."

"Keelah!" exclaimed Oron, "How did you survive that?"

"I don't know, but I'm glad... I did. As for how... I feel, I feel terrible. My body aches... all over, and it's hard... to breath sometimes... but I'm alive at least.

"That's good to hear commander. It would be a sad day for the galaxy if their hero died, and even more so for the quarians and geth since you are the reason we're able to coexist now." Shepard and Hyde alarmingly turned to Oron, who took a step back, wondering if he had said something wrong.

"The geth?!" Hyde said in shock, "What are you talking about Oron? The geth were wiped out by the Crucible!"

"So you two haven't heard yet then?" Both humans shook their heads. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. The Admiralty hasn't contacted the Alliance or any other government since the end of the war. All of their focus has been on establishing colonies and farms, tending to the wounded, that sort of thing. The geth have been an immense help with everything, jump starting our immune systems, building homes-"

"Oron, you're wandering!" interrupted Shepard.

"Sorry. I don't really know the whole story since I wasn't at Earth, but from what I understand, the Crucible fired a pulse that spread throughout the entire galaxy... or so everyone thought. I figured that with an untested weapon, it wasn't going to work perfectly on it's first use, and I was right for the most part. The pulse didn't reach the Perseus Veil, as it dissipated just beyond the Caleston Rift. So while the geth fleet was annihilated, the geth that remained on Rannoch are still functional."

"And they haven't attacked you guys as a matter of survival?" Hyde questioned.  
"Thanks to that 'Legion' geth you guys befriended, they are no longer a networked intelligence, but individuals. So no they haven't, else I wouldn't be here telling you this. And in case you're wondering, we sent scouting parties to the sectors of space that weren't affected by the pulse, and no Reaper signatures turned up."

Shepard and Hyde just stared at each other, completely in disbelief at what they just heard. They were so sure that Shepard had wiped out the geth as a side effect to destroying the Reapers, and to be told that the geth, as a race, were still alive... they were utterly speechless. For Shepard, he now knew that every race made it out of the war, maybe not everyone, but it was a much more tolerable outcome than wiping out an entire race. His effort to unite the quarians and geth was no longer redundant, and now the geth had a future to look forward to. For Hyde, it meant something else, and he had to ask, as ever since Oron started talking about this turn of events, one question had been eating away at him.

"Oron..." he began to ask, "If what you say is true... then..."

Oron snickered. "How would I have gotten to Earth otherwise? Yes, Nora is alive as well." Hyde's eyes widened in hope. Shepard was brought out of his state of mind by this answer.

"Wait," he said, confused, "You left... Nora on Rannoch all this time?"

Hyde shook his head. "That would've been impossible before since we've all heard the stories about the geth attacking any ship that headed into the Veil." Hyde made his way over to the window. "You see Shepard, even before what I said to you just before the final push, I was already pessimistic about our chances of survival. At the time, I knew that this war was going to be the end of us, so after you ended the quarian/geth conflict, I told Nora to go to Rannoch as opposed to staying at our usual agreed waiting location. She was curious as to why, and I told her that I may never come back from this, so I passed her on to Oron since he told me that he was staying there to help rebuild. If I died, at least Oron would've been able to work with her, but now that I know she's alive still." He turned his attention to Oron. "Oron, can I speak with her?"

"Sure thing," acknowledged Oron, "Just give me a sec here..." Oron's omni-tool appeared, and he opened a channel to Nora. "Nora, it's Oron... Yes, I did make it to the hospital... Yes, and he wants to talk to you." Hyde wheeled over to Oron, placing his face just in front of Oron's arm.

"Nora?" he hopefully asked, "Is that you?"

"I did not extrapolate it would be possible to speak with a dead organic," came a synthesized reply.

"It is you!" exclaimed Hyde, never being happier in his life. "I thought you were dead!"

"And I would be if I were still at our agreed upon standby planet. I am grateful for your pessimism."

"You're welcome Nora... I think. It's really great to hear your voice again."

"Likewise, Hyde. How bad are your injuries?"

"Broken legs, but nothing too serious," Hyde answered plainly.

"That sounds serious to me. If your leg fractures are permanent, it will be impossible for you to continue to work."

"The doc's told me that they'll recover Nora. We're not out of business yet."

"It would be a shame otherwise. I enjoy our work together."

"As do I. I should let you go before the guards start getting suspicious, if they haven't already."

"Understood. Recover soon." Oron disconnected her. Hyde leaned his head back, closing his eyes and smiled. That was one weight on his shoulders that was lifted.

"Oron, I love you," said Hyde jokingly.

"Don't let Liara know about that," he good-naturedly answered. "Actually now that I think about it, I came here to tell you one more thing Hyde."

"By all means, go ahead."

"Remember a few months back that you asked me if I wanted to be your partner, working for the Shadow Broker? I accept."

Hyde spread out his arms. "That's fantastic news! And with Nora still around, we'll be able to fly in style!"

"Once you get out of this place at least," Oron pointed out. Hyde just shrugged. "Anyway I should get out of here before the guards barge in, which I'm surprised they haven't yet. Get well soon, Hyde." Oron looked over at Shepard. "You too, commander."

"I will," Shepard assured him in confidence, "I feel... a lot better after... what you said."

"I'm glad to be the bearer of good news. Farewell." Oron cloaked and walked outside, forcing puzzled reactions from the guards. Hyde grinned.

"Jeez," he said, dumbfounded, "First we're told that the Normandy made it, then Nora and the geth are still alive... what's next do you think?" He looked over at Shepard for an answer, but Shepard had a serious expression on his face.

"Hyde," he said sternly, "We have... to make a vow."

"A vow?" asked Hyde, confused.

"Yes. No one... can ever know that we knew... the Crucible would kill the geth."

Hyde returned the serious expression. "You're right. If the geth ever found out..."

"They would... attack. They would see it... as a betrayal. We can't let... that happen."

"Agreed. What happened up there, what we learned... it does not leave between the two of us."

Shepard nodded, and lay back in his bed. He felt tired, overwhelmed by the news that Oron gave them. His efforts were not in vain, and he felt he could rest easier. Tali was coming soon, and every race made it out of the war... and yet it still didn't feel like it was enough. Too many lives were lost to the Reapers, so many families shattered because father's or mother's valiantly fought back. Just how many orphans were out there now, seeking answers for the innumerable amount of questions they would now have? And how many children were killed in the fighting as well? Shepard forced his eyes shut. Thinking about this reminded him of the boy that refused to follow Shepard to safety. That boy haunted him ever since he witnessed his death by a Reaper destroyer... but why? Shepard thought it meant the death of the future, and for the longest time it felt that way. Many futures for people were cut short by the Reapers: children that barely began their lives, adults that would be forever haunted by witnessing their friends being turned into husks, or dying to the mutated forces.

Shepard tried to banish the thoughts out of his mind. Right now was not a time to be thinking about this. He didn't want the good news Oron delivered be diminished by his thoughts of if things were different, which he knew would never be. He looked out the window, hoping that Tali would come soon. He missed her terribly.

It had been another week since Hyde made contact with the Normandy. When Liara told her that he had done so, Tali felt a pang of jealousy. She wished she could at least speak with her love, but Hyde told them the same thing Hackett did: Shepard was in bad shape, confined to his bed due to the condition he was in. How she wish she could be there at his side, just like she always was, whether it was when they were working with Cerberus, or taking down the Reapers. He was probably in a pain he never felt before, and that's what scared her the most: the fact that he was badly wounded and she couldn't do anything about it. It made her think back to when Kaidan told her the news that Shepard had died from the Collector surprise attack. It was the saddest day of her life, just as sad as seeing her father's dead body on the Alarei. She remembered crying for hours, weeping that her greatest friend and deepest crush was gone, and she never said anything about her feelings for him. Until she saw him on Freedom's Progress almost a year ago, she always lived with that regret. If Shepard had died again, it would have devastated her even more than when he died the first time, as this time they were together, boyfriend and girlfriend. But she took heart in the fact that he was alive, just light years away, and very soon would she see him again. Tali was up on the command deck, standing near Kaidan, who stood in the spot usually reserved for Shepard.

"You sure we're ready to go, Joker?" he asked.

"Everything's all set, Major," replied Joker over the intercom, "Just let me know when you're ready."

"I've been ready to leave since we got here," Kaidan pointed out, "But before we go back to Earth, plot a course for Palaven Joker."

"Pala-right, yeah, that. Course plotted. ETA about one hour."

"Kaidan!" Tali objected, "We have to go to Earth! We have to get back to Shepard!" Her stomach growled at her. The dextro-amino ration stockpile had become dangerously low, so she and Garrus ate less and less to conserve, but time was running out. Thankfully, they had just recently restored the Normandy to functional status, and after the crew had run system and propulsion tests to make sure everything was optimal, they were finally ready to leave. Tali was up on the command deck, standing near Kaidan, who stood in the spot usually reserved for Shepard.

"I know how much you want to see him, Tali," Kaidan sympathized, "But you and Garrus are practically starving, you know? We gotta make sure you two don't die on us before we get back to Earth." Kaidan walked down to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I promise, the moment we get our dextro food supplies filled up again, we'll immediately head for Earth."

"I will hold you to it, Kaidan." She walked toward the elevator and descended down. She was impressed with Kaidan. Ever since they landed, he assumed command of the Normandy since he was the highest ranking Alliance soldier on board, and had done rather well for himself. Not quite as outwardly social as Shepard was, but everyone knew him, and everyone liked him. She had a feeling he would make a great second human Spectre.

The elevator stopped on the crew deck. She walked toward the starboard observation deck, and took a seat to gaze out at the stars. It was relaxing to finally just sit down, to not have to work on the engines, and not having to worry about the next battle. However it wasn't perfect. She wanted Shepard to be here, his arm around her, her head on his shoulder, just like they were when they were watching the sunset on Rannoch before resuming the war, and soon it would happen. They may be taking a detour to Palaven, but her stomach agreed with Kaidan, and her brain agreed with her stomach. The last thing Shepard would have wanted to see was her being as miserable as she was.

She reached into a pocket, and pulled out a dried rock. It was the same rock that Shepard gave her just before they set out to take down the geth base housing the Reaper. At the time, to her the rock meant what Shepard gave it to her for in the first place: to carry her home around with her. But overtime, the rock came to symbolize more than that. It came to symbolize Shepard himself, that a piece of him was always with her wherever she went, that no matter what happened, they were together. Never once did it leave her person, and over the past month and a half, it was a way to remind her that he was out there waiting for her; a way to remind her that he was still alive, and that he never truly left her alone.

The door suddenly opened behind her, and she quickly turned to see who it was. It was Liara.

"Oh! Tali!" she said mildly surprised, "I didn't know you were here. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No, don't worry," Tali reassured her, "I just got here myself."

"What are you doing?"

Tali sighed. "Just... thinking about John."

"I had a feeling you were. I'm sure you're anxious to see him again after being separated for so long."

Tali nodded. "And I'm sure you're just as anxious to see Hyde again."

"Yes, though seeing him a week ago did ease my mind a little. At least I know for myself that he's alright."

"I can't believe he didn't tell you what he was planning to do."

"Neither can I. He was right though, I would have tried to stop him." Liara went over and sat down beside Tali. "I understand his reasoning for going, but I'm still going to kill him for putting me through that." Tali laughed. Liara glanced at the rock Tali had in her hands. "What's that you're holding?"

"It's a rock John gave me before we attacked the geth base on Rannoch. I keep it with me to remind myself that he's always with me no matter where he is."

"I see... and it won't be long before you and Shepard are united again, as well as Will and me."

Tali lowered her head. "I miss him so much, Liara. When we had to leave after John turned himself into the Alliance, it was... difficult to do. I was able to handle it because at least this time I knew he was alive, but now... now he's in a hospital on Earth, in who knows what kind of pain, and I can't do anything about it."

Liara put a hand on Tali's leg to comfort her. "The Alliance won't let him die, not when he has the chance to recover. We'll get to Earth, and when he sees you again, I know it will improve his resolve to get better." Tali nodded in agreement, and looked down at her rock. She brought it close to her heart, tightly clutching it, before slipping it back into her pocket.

_Hold on, John. We're coming. I'm coming._


	6. Chapter 5

_Note: I apologize for the long delay between this and the last chapter. College work, as well as a lack of motivation and having to plan out the rest of the story stopped me for a while, but now I'm back to it._

For almost two months, Admiral Hackett was busy with not only domestic issues on Earth, but post-war issues and peacekeeping. For those humans, and every other race for that matter, that somehow made it through the biggest war in history it was a time of grief and rebuilding. Many civilians and soldiers were combing the ruins of cities, the battle-scarred fields, and anywhere else affected by the war for their dead. Families seeking their loved ones if they were still alive, or mourning them if their deaths were confirmed, friends searching for their friends, trying to get in contact with them to be sure that they were alright. Then there was those that had located their friends and family, and had now turned their attention toward rebuilding. A daunting task to be sure, and Hackett had ordered several squadrons of soldiers to assist the building. They, like the civilians down there, shared in their burdens. He had received reports of how Alliance personnel were being thanked for their services, and also for being their to help rebuild, reminding the population that the marines were people too. It was a sight of unification that had never been so great in history: all countries were sharing in a sense of cooperation to rebuild their homes and facilities; everyone participated in the war whether they wanted to or not, though the opinion was near 100% willing participation. No one wanted to die, and no one wanted to see the extinction of their species, and now that the Reapers were slain, there was no sense of fear anywhere. However, there was still grim feelings felt everywhere, knowing how close they were to being wiped out, and the staggering casualties of both soldier and civilian. Even after nearly two months, the death reports were still coming in, some with names, some that were unrecognizable, and then there were those that could not be confirmed due to either husk transformation, or by being harvested. Hackett wished he could give those latter families closure, but it was something they would have to accept, though he wondered if anyone could ever accept the fact that their loved one had been become nothing more than either a zombie or genetic paste.

Then there was the whole issue of peacekeeping. Thanks to Shepard, the galaxy been unified, something unheard of in the entire history of this cycle. The krogan and turians were on better political terms now, especially given the cooperation between Urdnot Wrex and Primarch Victus, as well as the curing of the genophage. Then there were the quarians and geth, and how they were coexisting after the former's 300 year exodus. Hackett thought for sure that one or the other would be wiped out, yet somehow the commander pulled it off. Still, the leaders agreed that they wanted to maintain the peace, and a coalition of ships from each spacefaring race have been committed to doing just that, but not all was completely well in the topic of politics. The salarians were being questioned for not fully committing to the war because the dalatrass would not send the full might of the salarian fleet to retake Earth because of her stubborn opposition to the genophage cure, but even they were not receiving the worst of the negative views. The asari matriarchs were brought to trial regarding the Prothean beacon in the temple of Athame, and how they kept it from prying eyes for so long, and were being criticized for possibly sabotaging the war because of the hidden data that was inside of it. At home, they Alliance was still deciding would be the next three members of the Committee, and who would be replacing the traitorous Donnel Udina. In the former, the invitation had crossed his desk, but Hackett declined it. He was an admiral, not a politician. Finally, there was another issue that demanded immediate attention. The Council had declared the use of Reaper tech illegal for all races, and decreed that all of it should be destroyed so that not only would one race not get an upper hand, but to also prevent the users from becoming indoctrinated, as even though they were gone, they still had a presence. Even dead gods can dream.

He was on the bridge, looking over a stack of reports on his private terminal, some for reconstruction, and some regarding casualties. Appointed heads of construction in different areas were always asking for more supplies, though never anymore people as there was no shortage of volunteers. He wanted to help them all, but he had to prioritize the larger cities first, especially London, which was nearing completion. For those casualties that had names, he sent off a copy and pasted letter expressing his sympathies and letting the families know that their loved one didn't die in vain. Those were the hardest reports to look at, and it didn't make him feel any better that he was giving families and friends the closure they needed, not when the galaxy could have been more prepared if they had just listened to Shepard. He paused for a moment as he thought of the commander. He was his other responsibility for now. The media wanted interviews with Shepard, wanting to know what it was like to save the galaxy for a second time, and how he had managed it, but Hackett wouldn't allow it. Shepard needed to rest and recover, and having a room full of reporters would greatly disrupt that process The only people he would allow to see him would be his team, as Hackett was sure that their presence would be a great comfort for Shepard. He hadn't heard from the Normandy for two weeks, and wondered if anything came up.

"Admiral, sir," one of the crewmen called to him.

"What is it, O'Reily?" answered Hackett.

"We're receiving a communication from the Council. They want to talk to you in private."

"I'll take it in the comm room then." The admiral turned to leave.

"I'll patch them through for you sir," the comm officer informed, his voice trailing off as Hackett made his way to the same room that Shepard's friend, Agent Hyde, had only used a couple weeks ago. He wasn't surprised that the Council wanted to talk to him; in fact he was actually expecting it, and he knew exactly what they wanted to ask him. There was no replacement for Udina, and line of succession was cleared away thanks to the Reapers. The only surprise was wondering what took the Council so long to get to him about it, though he knew that they had problems of their own right now. When he reached the comm room the holograms of Councilors Sparatus, Tevos, and Valern were there to greet him.

"Councilors," he addressed them, "What can I do for you?"

"Admiral Hackett," began Tevos, "We wanted to firstly congratulate you for your astounding leadership throughout the war. It could not have been easy."

"Thank you councilor, but I don't think you called me just to commend my abilities."

"Correct," answered Valern, "Our chamber on the Citadel has been rebuilt now, and because so we can resume our duties."

"However," interjected Sparatus, "Humanity's place on the Council has yet to be filled since Udina's attempted coup. Has the Alliance reached a decision as to who will succeed him?"

"We're still busy trying to find successors to the Alliance Committee," replied Hackett, "Let alone trying to find a replacement for Udina."

"We suspected as much," answered Valern, "Which leads us to the reason why we contacted you admiral."

"Yes," continued Tevos, "We were wondering if you would possibly fill the role as councilor."

Hackett paused for a moment to absorb what he had just been offered. "With all due respect councilors, I'm an admiral of the Alliance, not a politician."

"Admiral Anderson did not seem to have a problem with it initially when commander Shepard recommended him," pointed out Sparatus.

"Anderson resigned though."

"And we ask you do the same," said Tevos, "You becoming a councilor would not have to be permanent; only until you find a proper replacement."

"We would want you hear temporarily in any event," added Valern, "The Council is planning a ceremony for commander Shepard, and we would like you to preside over it.

Hackett lowered his eyes, thinking about the prospect. Shepard certainly deserved this after all he's done, and he did have a few things to say to the commander that would be better suited at a ceremony.

"I'll think about it councilors, and get back to you on my answer."

"Very well, admiral," stated Sparatus. "By the way, how is commander Shepard?"

"Sorry councilor, but that's classified."  
"I see... that is all we had for you, admiral. We'll let you get back to your duties."

"Thank you. Hackett out." He closed communications, not sure what to make of it. The mention of Anderson brought him back to when they found the bodies of him and the Illusive Man. The Illusive Man had infused himself with Reaper tech, further reinforcing Hackett's idea that he truly was insane. The Illusive Man had died due to a gun shot wound to the right side of his head, through and through, leading the examiners to quickly conclude that it was self-inflicted, though Hackett wanted to know why and how. Anderson on the other hand bled out due to a gunshot wound to his abdomen. The would did not match the size of the Predator pistol the Illusive Man had, but rather a Carnifex that was held by Shepard. Again, Hackett wanted to know why and how that happened as well, though he would ask Shepard when he was more prepared to answer those kinds of questions.

"Admiral sir," a voice came on the intercom. It was one of the flight crew.

"Yes Wu, what is it?" replied the admiral.

"We're getting incoming traffic from the Charon relay."

Odd. "Identification?"

"Not sure sir. We'll know in a moment." There was a brief pause. "It's... the Normandy sir! The Normandy has returned."

Hackett didn't even flinch. He knew they would come back, just not when. "Thank you, Wu. Opening a hailing channel and contact Major Alenko. I need to speak with them before they charge to Earth."

"Aye, aye, sir," the intercom died out, and Hackett stood at ease in front of the hologram projectors, awaiting the second human Spectre to answer the call.

Kaidan, James, and Ensign Copeland were engaged in a friendly competition of poker. For James, it was an opportunity to sponge more credits out of his superior officer; for Kaidan, he wanted a little revenge, and it was about to happen... or so he hoped anyway.

Copeland sighed. "I gotta fold."

"Heh heh, that's right," taunted James, "Feel free to join him, Kaidan."

"Not today, James," assured Kaidan, "I'm betting." He pushed two stacks of chips into the pot.

"Getting bold, huh? Alright, I call." James answered in kind. "Three. Kings." As James reached for the pot, Kaidan grabbed his wrist.

"Hold it, lieutenant." Kaidan lay out his hand. "Flush."

James' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "What?! No way!"

"I believe this is mine." Kaidan dragged the pot towards his side of the table.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" James was obviously flabbergasted that he lost.

"Jeez James, not taking this very well huh?"

"Hey, don't get cocky Major. Next hand is mine."

"If you insist. How about you Copeland?"

"Sure, I'm game for another hand," answered Copeland, eager to just pass the time.

"Hate to interrupt your high stakes gambling guys," came Traynor over the intercom, "But admiral Hackett wants to speak to you in the comm room, major."

James and Kaidan looked at each other with both men raising an eyebrow. "Alright. Thanks Traynor."

James crossed his arms. "We're this close to Shepard, and Hackett wants to talk to us now? What do you think he wants?"

Kaidan shrugged. "I don't know, but I guess I'll find out." Kaidan proceeded toward the elevator and went up to meet with Hackett. The admiral's hologram was there waiting for him, as calm as ever.

"Major Alenko," welcomed Hackett. "Let me be the first to welcome you back to the Local Cluster."

"Thank you, admiral," Kaidan answered, saluting his superior officer. "I don't mean to be rude sir, but is now really the best time?"

"I know you're in a rush, major, but there are a few things I need to make you aware of. For the several weeks since the end of the war, I had to keep the media off of Shepard to let him smoothly recover. Now that you're back I'm transferring that responsibility to you. You will be the one to decide who gets to see the commander and who doesn't."

"Thank you sir."

"I'll notify the hospital staff and the soldiers on station there about the transfer. Also, I'm forwarding the coordinates to the hospital the commander and agent Hyde are staying at. I recommend that you take your shuttle to the roof. I'll have someone meet you there."

"Understood. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, I have orders for you." In Kaidan's mind, he was getting a little antsy. "You and the Normandy team are to visit the commander immediately, and stay with him until he well enough to move around again. Any objections?"

Kaidan smiled and saluted again. "No sir!"

"Good. Hackett out." The admiral disappeared, and Kaidan headed back to the bridge to inform everyone that it was time.

Meanwhile in the mess hall, Garrus and Tali had just finished the first decent meal they had in the past two weeks. Garrus leaned back in his chair, satisfied with his meal.

"That meal was great," he commented, "Even if they were rations."

"I think even human food would have tasted good at this point," admitted Tali.

"Wow, that really says something about you. You were that hungry huh?"

"Starving."

"Well maybe next time we can tell Joker to crash land on a dextro world."

Tali shook her head, and got up to take her plate back to the counter. "I wonder what's taking so long?"

"I guess something came up. We are back at Earth now. Maybe Hackett had something in mind for us?"

"Hey, Sparks, Scars," called James as he was on his way to the elevator, "It's time to go see Shepard and Hyde, so let's get down to the shuttle." He went out of sight, and Garrus looked over at Tali, who met his gaze.

"You ready Tali?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Garrus, I've been waiting for this for almost two months."

"I know that, but remember what Hackett said about the state that Shepard was in? You may not like what you see."

She looked down, reminding herself about what the admiral said; how he had taken a direct hit from a Reaper laser, and somehow managed to live from it. How he described Shepard, with burns and bruises, multiple broken bones... it didn't matter to her because she was ready to see him again, despite what he may look like now.

"Maybe," she responded. "All I know for sure is that he needs me right now, and I feel the same way. We've been separated too often and too long, and now that the Reapers are gone, I won't let anything separate us again."

Garrus smiled as best he could. "That's the spirit Tali. Come on, let's get going." Garrus and got up and as they began to walk over to the elevator, Liara came out of her room after preparing herself as well.

"Do you mind if I join you?" she asked.

"I don't think you need to ask, Liara," answered Garrus. "How about you? You ready to see Hyde again?"

"I saw him recently, Garrus," she pointed out, "But... yes, I'm ready. Been ready, actually."

The three of them headed for the shuttle, where they were met with James, Kaidan, and Javik. Javik looked as stoic as he always did, and James and Kaidan looked calm, but they were anxious to get going. The six of them climbed in, and the shuttle bay hatch opened to let the shuttle out. No one said much en route, as they all knew what the others would ask. Tali sat almost incredibly still, a mix of anxiety and nervousness filling her. The day had finally come, but now that it had she didn't know what to expect ultimately. Would he even be able to speak to her? Did he know she was coming? So many questions filling her mind. She fumbled her fingers, clearly showing how nervous she was. Liara put her hand on Tali's thigh. She looked at Liara to notice that she was smiling at her to reassure her that it would be alright. Tali nodded to thank her, and tried to cease her worrying; she would simply find out when they got there.

The shuttle landed on the roof's pad. The team got out and we're greeted at the elevator by none other than Dr. Michel.

"Dr. Michel?!" said an astonished Garrus.

"Garrus!" she replied, "I'm... so glad you're safe."

"So am I, but... what are you doing here?"

"Did admiral Hackett tell you what Shepard and Hyde went through?"

"He told us that Shepard had a collapsed ribcage, multiple fractures, and burns and bruises all over his body," answered Tali, the admiral's description still swirling around in her mind.

"And Hyde suffered similar burns," added Liara, "But the only broken bones he had were in his legs."

"Correct," said Michel, "Mr. Hyde told me that they were run over by a loose Mako wheel." James and Garrus winced at the thought of it. "How it didn't crush his legs is nothing short of a miracle, though he insisted that his suit absorbed most of the weight. As for the commander, because his state was delicate, the admiral wanted me to care for him while he recovered, the reason being is that he wanted as many friendly faces as he could find so that the commander could recover smoothly."

"Is the commander ready for visitors?" wondered Javik, wanting to get straight to the point.

"I believe they've been ready for you for sometime. Follow me." The team followed Michel into the elevator, and she pressed the button that would take them to the floor that Hyde and Shepard were recuperating.

"Did you receive my gift, Garrus?" wondered Michel.

"I did," answered Garrus, "It was very thoughtful of you."

Tali shook her head. _He still doesn't get it._ The elevator slowed to a halt and the doors flung open. They all stepped out to the scene of doctors looking over medical reports, nurse's answering calls, and just in general very busy.

"Commander Shepard and Mr. Hyde will be down at the end of the hall over there," instructed Michel, pointing towards the door with the two Alliance guards. "I have to go check on a few other patients of mine." She looked at Garrus. "We should... talk later Garrus."

"I would like that," he said gently.

_Maybe he does get it? _thought Tali. Dr. Michel left to do her doctoral duties. Tali took a few steps forward before she realized that the others hadn't.

"Aren't you guys coming?" she asked.

The team looked at each other. "We think you should be the one to go in first, Tali," replied James.

"You've waited long enough for this Tali," reminded Garrus, "None of us wanted to see him nearly as much as you did, so you ought to be the one to get to see him first. We'll wait out here until you're done." Tali looked over at Liara.

"Go Tali," she encouraged, "I can wait a little longer." Though no one could see it, Tali smiled at them, thanking them for their thoughtfulness. She slowly walked down the hall, her heart racing. This was it. After all this time, they were going to be together again. She couldn't believe it was happening. The questions were coming back to her, but she repressed them: there was no time to think about it. She got to the door, and her hand trembled as she reached for the panel, stopping short of it. She took a deep breath, and opened it to a white room with a rectangular television screen hanging on the wall to the right, a large window directly across from letting in the sun's rays, and two bed on her left with a circular table separating them. Hyde was in his wheelchair and Shepard was laying in bed, surprising upright. He was recovering quite nicely. The two were talking about something before they turned to see who their guest was, and their eyes widened and jaws went agape in response, more so for Shepard.

"Tali...!" said Shepard in shock.

"John..." answered Tali in kind, emotion running through her. Tears began forming in her eyes. He didn't look quite as bad as she thought, though this may be because he had time to heal. Hyde looked at Tali, then at Shepard.

"I should..." he stammered, "I should go." He turned his chair and quietly passed by Tali. The door closed behind her and she dashed over to her boyfriend, quickly and tightly embracing him. Pain shot through Shepard, but he didn't care. He wrapped her arms around her, tears filling his eyes as well.

"John!" she cried. "John!" Her joy made it hard for her to speak, her words being choked up by her tears.

"Tali!" whispered Shepard, trying to force back the tears, "I can't believe it!"

Tali retracted her head to look him in the eyes. "You... you came back to me..."

"Yes... I did." They hugged again. "And I will not leave you again."


	7. Chapter 6

_If Tali's here, then...!_ Hyde thought as he was passing by Tali. And sure enough to his pleasant surprise, there was Liara down the hall along with the rest of the team at the front desk. Hyde rolled as fast as he could down to meet her.

"Liara!" he shouted. Liara turned her head to see her man rolling down to meet her, and her face lit up.

"W-Hyde!" she corrected herself, not wanting the others to hear what his first name was. She ran over to him and they met halfway. They embraced one another, Liara with tears in her eyes. They didn't say a word to each other; there was no need to. They had seen each other recently, and being in the other's arms was good enough for both of them. Liara moved away from him, and then smacked him across the face.

"Ow!" he responded, completely not expecting that.

"That was for making me worry." Hyde shrugged. He didn't like it, but he will admit that he deserved it for not telling her. "And this-" Liara bent over again to put her lips to his, closing her eyes to embrace the moment. Hyde succumbed to it, closing his as well. How he wanted to feel those lips on his for so long, and to be like this now felt like an utter dream, but better because it wasn't. She moved away again. "-is for coming back."

"I like that," he commented, "But the slap... well, I deserved it."

"Please don't ever do that again," Liara instructed.

"I don't plan to," he promised, "Now let me go see the others. I'm sure they're dying to see me."

"They are. Come on." They walked back to the lobby where the others were, and Hyde shook their hands with the exception of Javik. The two said the other's name in acknowledgment and nothing more.

"Great to see you again, Bond," said James, "How ya' feelin'?" Hyde smiled and shook his head. Like everyone else, James had given him a nickname, and the origin of Hyde's he knew right off the bat. He pointed out that he wasn't anything like in the movies, but James still called him it anyway. Hyde didn't mind it, and even played along by giving James his own nickname: Newbie, since James joined Shepard rather late in his Reaper campaign.

"Well great now that you're all here. As for my leg bones, they aren't so hot."

"Could've been a lot worse though, Hyde," pointed out Kaidan, "You're lucky you came away with just that."

He nodded in agreement. "I never had any broken bones in my life. I didn't wanna miss the experience."

"And now that you had a taste of it?" asked James challengingly.

"Never again." The two let out a laugh. "So how have you guys been doing over the past month?"

"We did what we could to get by," replied Garrus. "Mostly repairs, but at least we all had a few poker games to pass the down time."

"Understandable. Liara told me that you and Tali were running out of dextro food Garrus. That must've not been pleasant."

"No, it wasn't. Next time I'm gonna tell Joker that if he ever has us crash on another uncharted world, that it better a dextro world."

"What about all the lexo's that are still on board?"  
"There are fish in Shepard's room." Hyde laughed again.

"It really is great to see you guys again," admitted Hyde, "I missed the ambiance that you all bring. Being cooped up in a hospital room is not as exciting as you might think. At least Shepard was there to pass the time, even if he was in and out of consciousness."

"How is Shepard doing anyway?" asked Kaidan, "It's been on our minds for a while now."

Hyde sighed. "He's been through a lot, and not just physically. He won't admit it to me, but I can tell he's gone through a lot of psychological problems. Collectors, Reapers, watching Mordin, Legion, and Thane die, not to mention that the fate of all civilization pretty much rested on his shoulders. You guys being here now, especially Tali, will be a welcome sight for him."

"Didn't know you were a psychiatrist Hyde," said James, surprised.

"It was part of the training," he answered matter-of-factly, "People can divulge a lot of information from body language and other passive actions. It's been useful over the years."

"I'll bet."

"Wise move sending one person in at a time, Tali at that. She's pretty much all he's been thinking about ever since he first regain consciousness."

"We had a feeling," answered Liara.

"And we can wait until their done to see him," added Kaidan.

"Well get cozy," replied Hyde. "I don't know how long they'll be talking."

"Good point," commented Garrus. "In the meantime I'm gonna go catch up with Dr. Michel."

"I need to check in with the rest of the hospital," said Kaidan, "To be sure that Hackett sent them the update about who's in charge of Shepard now." The two of them walked off to do their tasks. James wanted to go down and help with the reconstruction efforts, and so headed down to the ground floor. Javik went back to the elevator and ascended to who knows where, leaving Liara and Hyde by themselves amongst the busy hospital staff.

"As for us," said Hyde, "I think now would be a great time for us to catch up."

"Yes," agreed Liara. "Do you know of any place here that we can talk privately?"

"The sun room. I liked to go their frequently when Shepard was sleeping; give me time for just a man and his thoughts."

"You thinking? That's a dangerous thought," joked Liara. Hyde was pleasantly surprised with that remark.

"You making a joke is even more dangerous. I guess being around me and the others has taught you something huh?"

"I'm still learning of course, but I like to think I'm making progress."

Hyde nodded. "I think you are, but let's continue this elsewhere."

"Lead the way." Hyde ordered the elevator down, and they stepped inside to head to the sun room.

Meanwhile Shepard and Tali had managed to calm themselves down after their emotional reunion. Tali had located a chair in the room and sat next to her lover, who was sitting up in his bed, his first time since he had been admitted, as well as also able to speak longer without needing to breath between fragments. This didn't come as a surprise to him, since he did die once, though he didn't know which was worse: being dead, or wanting to die because of the amount of pain. Now that Tali was here with him, suffering his injuries was more than tolerable.

"How are you feeling, John?" asked Tali.

"I've been better," he answered, "But it's bearable since you're here now."

"You scared me, John. Thinking you might have died on me... again. I know it was to save all of us, but... don't ever do that again."

"I don't think I can. I haven't ever been that close to death since... well, when I died."

"How about the time you made a deal with the Leviathan?"'

"True, but other than that I've made it out with only scratches."

Tali shook her head. "I don't know how you do it."

"Just lucky, I guess." There was a moment of silence, then, "So how have you been these past couple of months?"

"Miserable," she answered with a hint of depression. "The others thought you had died, and made a name plaque with your name to put on the memorial wall. They wanted me to do it, but I couldn't because I didn't want to believe you died. Then admiral Hackett told us that you weren't, and I worked liked a madwoman to get the Normandy back in the air."

"A madwoman huh?"

"Yeah. I may have neglected sleeping from time to time."

"Tali, even though I'm flattered that you did that, it isn't good for you."

"I wish you hadn't said that."

"Why not?"

"Because you just proved Javik right: that you wouldn't want to see, or in this case hear, that I was like that."

Shepard chuckled. "Sorry, but you know I care about you, and wouldn't want you to push yourself that hard."

"I know, but I can now say that it was totally worth it."

"Heh, been a while since I heard you say those three words."

Tali lightly pushed him. "We would've been here sooner, but we were running out of dextro food."

"That makes sense. Bad luck for landing on a lexo world huh?"

"For Garrus and me anyway, but two people dying is insignificant to the whole crew. Kaidan knew that and ordered the Normandy to Palaven to resupply before we came here."

"Doesn't surprise me that Kaidan took my place since I was stuck here. How did he do as the new CO?"

"He certainly earned those promotions. He did well organizing workloads for the crew, sending out scouting parties for food and water, and even helping with the repairs. All around I thought he was a good CO, but nowhere near as good as you."

Shepard smiled. "Glad to hear it, and I think it was good that he was in charge. It'll be excellent experience for when he commands his own ship since he's a Spectre now."

"Kaidan as a Spectre..." Tali pondered. "I never would have guessed. You think he can ever measure up to you?"

"I did set the bar pretty high, but I'm sure he'll do well. After all, he survived fighting alongside me."

"That is true." Another pause. "We would've gotten here sooner with all things considered if EDI was still around." Upon hearing EDI being mentioned, Shepard's expression turned to gloom. He knew that he killed his friend, who had proven to him that not all synthetics are bad, and even was becoming more human that any AI he ever met. Knowing that he took that away... it was something he would feel guilty about for years to come. Tali noticed the change in his face. "You already knew?"

"The energy from the Crucible wiped out all synthetics," he answered, "According to Hackett."

Now it was Tali's turn to look gloomy. "Which means that the geth are gone too... all your work to end a 300 year war in the making was for nothing."

"Not exactly..."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember Oron?" Tali nodded. "Well he came by a little while back to see us, and he told us that the energy pulse from the Crucible did not reach Rannoch or, from what I can guess, anywhere else near the Perseus Veil."  
"So the geth fleet was wiped out, but the ones that remained behind are still around..."

"We had no idea just how effective the Crucible would be. I'm glad that it wasn't 100%."

"So am I. Still, I don't think the Normandy will be the same with out EDI."

"No... it won't." Shepard knew that he was only telling half of the truth to Tali. He couldn't, nor wouldn't, tell anyone about what really happened on the Citadel. "How did Joker take her... death?"

"Not well." she answered with sympathy. "For the first couple of weeks, he kept her body next to him like they were before, unable to except her death. Then one day he asked us to put her body back in the AI core, and James did so. He's been mourning her ever since."

"I wish there was something I could do to help him."

"I'm sure seeing you again will cheer him up. It certainly worked for me."

"Yeah, but I'm not dating Joker." Tali chuckled, then took his hand in her's.

"Speaking of which, what's next for us?"

"Well... I was thinking about that house of ours on Rannoch. Build it, raise some children there, and live out the rest of our lives together in peace."

"Really?! But... what about the Alliance?"

Shepard placed his other hand on top of her's. "Tali, you and I both know that I've done more than any one man is capable of doing. With help from you and the others, I stopped Saren, wiped out the Collectors, and defeated the Reapers. All in three years, and two of those years I was dead. I'm tired of fighting, tired of wondering whether or not I'll live to see tomorrow. All I want to do now is just spend the rest of my life in peace... with you."

"John... I... You would do all that just for me?"

"Yes. Because I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you too." The two of them hugged again, when they heard a cough from the door. Hyde had come back and was giving them a sly smile.

"Am I interrupting you two love birds?" he asked coyly.

"We were just... um..." Tali stammered, quickly letting go of Shepard.

"I was there when you two got together, remember? Besides, the others already know you two are together anyway, so I don't see why you need to hide it."

"That reminds me," Tali faced Shepard again. "Raan already knows we're together."

"Really?" Shepard responded in surprise, "How?"

"A woman's intuition. She saw the signs."

"And she's alright with it?"

Tali nodded. "You're the hero of the galaxy John, and you were the biggest reason that we can live on our homeworld again. I'm sure all quarians respect you."

"Good point." Shepard turned his attention to Hyde. "And I thought you were spending time with Liara."

"You'll notice-" he pointed toward the window; indicating that it was dark. "That it's nighttime and visiting hours are, unfortunately, over."

"Damn..." Tali cursed. "I wish I could stay here all night."

"So do I." said Shepard, "But then again, you would have to be sleeping in that chair all night." Tali nodded in agreement, then sighed. "I'll be here in the morning."

"I know. Good night, John."

"Good night Tali." Tali walked toward the door.

"We'll need to catch up at some point too, Hyde."

"Yep." he agreed. "I look forward to it. Sweet dreams, madwoman."

"What?! How did you-... Liara told you didn't she?"

Hyde chuckled. "Yep." Tali left for the shuttle, and Hyde and Shepard were alone once more.

"Best day of our lives today, huh?"

"Mmhmm," murmured Shepard. "Did you see the others?"

"They were all outside down the hall. They'll be back tomorrow to do their own checking in, one at a time."

"Alright. Can't wait." Hyde rolled over to his bed and slowly climbed his way in, being careful not to put too much pressure on his legs. Thankfully for him the bed was low enough that he could do so on his own. "So what did you and Liara do?"

"I imagine the same as you and Tali: talked about what we've being doing these past couple of months, talk about the future, that sort of thing."

"You and Liara thinking about settling down?"

"Somewhat. I mean, she is the Shadow Broker, and that's something you can't easily walk away from. And I love what I do, so I don't plan on retiring until my body is too feeble for that sort of thing. Still, we both want a place we can call home, so right now we're trying to figure that out, and, though I didn't bring it up, I would like to raise a couple of daughters with her."

"Think you could do all that while juggling with work?"

"I never said it wouldn't be difficult, but life is full of struggles isn't it? Besides, almost all families have to juggle between home and work life, some more so than others, but I would do my best for her and the children."

"Well, if anyone can do it it's you."

"Thanks, but I don't think my difficulties will be anything close to yours."

"What do you mean?"

"If you plan on doing what I think you're doing, you're gonna have to import all your food and drinks since anything on Rannoch can kill you."

"I'll handle it."

"Yeah I know. You killed off the Reapers; getting the right food is trivial in comparison. Either way, we got a lot to think about now don't we?"

"Yeah, but right now I'm more focused on getting better so I can get out of here."

"Agreed, though my injuries aren't as bad as yours, and now that the Normandy is back, I can check out of here."

Shepard was surprised. "You mean you could've checked out at anytime?"

"Mmhmm, but didn't for two reasons: one, I didn't have anywhere to go, and two, I wanted to stay here to be sure that you wouldn't be lonely."

"Thanks, Hyde. You're a good friend."

"You too." Hyde adjusted himself. "Well, good night then."

"Night." And Shepard, for the first time, since he came to the hospital, peacefully drifted to sleep.

_Shepard sat there kneeling, hands on the ground, unable to bare the sight of it. The boy's bones lay there burnt. Why wouldn't he let Shepard help him? Why didn't he save him? Why couldn't he save everyone else? He heard the familiar voices of his fallen friends; shadows creeping over him, each of them calling out his name as if they desperately needed him. He couldn't save them, he couldn't save the people he did not know, but did not deserve what happened to them. How he wish he could have done something, but their deaths were beyond his control, fate being the cruel mistress she was. They died so he could live, but what comfort was that?_

_ He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was warm, comforting, a oddity in this forest of dread and haunting. He turned his head to see who it was. It was Tali, still in her suit, but no helmet, no hood. Her pale eyes gazing at him, a warm, friendly smile on her face, her black hair flowing down to her shoulders. Despite her presence, he did not feel any better. She knew this, and helped him to his feet, then took him by the hand and began to lead him somewhere. The shadows of the fallen did kept their distance away, though they still uttered his name, and occasionally he would hear his dead friends' voice: Legion, Thane, Ashley, and Mordin._

_ They walked for some time before they came upon a grove. Tali motioned him to go into it. He did so. He walked toward the center, and suddenly from behind one of trees a human baby crawled out. It looked healthy, and was somehow unafraid of the shadows that still lingered about. It crawled over to him, and sat down at his feet. Shepard didn't know what to think, but then more babies came out, one __of each species. Turian, asari, salarian, krogan, quarian, all of them. They all began playing with each other, ignorant of their surroundings, laughing with great joy with each other. Now he knew why Tali led him here: the shadows of the fallen died so he could live to save the babies around him, to give them a chance at life without fear of annihilation. That everything they did would mean something, and would not worry about it being snuffed out by some all-powerful force. He noticed the shadows were backing away from this pleasant scene, then he saw that all the babies sat around him. The human baby raised his arms up to him, wanting to be picked up. Shepard did so. It fell asleep in his arms. Tali had come to him, admiring the child, then looked at him again, smiling like before. He smiled back, and, while still holding the child with one arm, wrapped the other around her._

Shepard woke up, but not in a sweat like he had before when that nightmare occurred before. He looked around. It was still dark, but it was a clear night, and the moon's light dimly illuminated the room. He looked over at Hyde, who had his back turned at him, sound asleep. Shepard looked up at the ceiling, thinking about that dream he just awoke from. Yes... he gave those who were still alive a chance, for new generations to live without fear. And Tali... she was always there for him, always there to cheer him up, to let him know just how important he was to everyone, and to her. He closed his eyes and smiled.

"Thank you, Tali." he whispered, then went back to sleep.


	8. Chapter 7

The next morning, Tali awoke pleasantly for a change. Having finally been reunited with her lover after two months, her spirits were much higher than they used to be. She headed down to the shuttle bay after stretching, and everyone was already there. On the flight path, they team decided what order they should see Shepard. It was unanimous that Garrus go next, since, like Tali, he was there with Shepard until the very end. Next was Kaidan since he was the temporary commanding officer, and he knew that Shepard would want to know just how well he preformed. Tali assured him that she had mentioned it, but Kaidan insisted that he do it himself, because only he can tell Shepard about what it was like to be in his shoes for a change. James elected to be next because, as oppose to the rest of the team, he had something important to do afterward. When Kaidan questioned him about, James didn't give him a complete answer, saying that it was a private matter. Liara was after him, since she understandably wanted to spend time with Hyde before seeing for herself just how well Shepard was doing. Javik voted to be last, siting that he didn't really have much to say. Cortez, in the meantime, wanted to wait until Shepard was standing behind him like he used to, as if nothing had ever happened to his commanding officer.

They landed again on the roof, and returned to the floor that they were on. Tali had asked Garrus to wait a few more minutes while she checked in on Shepard, to which he agreed. Liara followed close behind. The door to Shepard and Hyde's room opened, but they found it was only half-occupied; Shepard was here, but no sign of Hyde.

"Good morning, John." said Tali, not entirely noticing Hyde's disappearance. She walked up to him, but did not take a seat."Sleep well?"

Shepard pondered whether or not to tell Tali and about his dream last night, but quickly decided to save it for later. "Yes. I did. Yourself?"

"I haven't slept that well in a while," she answered, sounding refreshed.

"Shepard..." Liara interrupted. "Where did Hyde go?"

"The sun room, where he always goes." answered Shepard.

"I should have guessed. Thank you." She turned to leave.

"Wait. You aren't gonna stay and talk with me? It's been a while since I've seen you too."

"We worked out a plan about who gets to see you when. Garrus will be here as soon as Tali is done checking in on you."

"I see... alright. So when are you then?"

"It'll be after James. I'll talk to you then, okay?"

"Sure thing. See you then." Liara left the room and proceeded to head to the sun room, which was two floors above. Sure enough, there was Hyde staring out into the distance, the sun's rays pouring into the room. He had mention last time that this was a place he went to to be alone with his thoughts, which made her wonder what he was thinking about now.

"You don't have to stand there, hon." Hyde said suddenly, startling Liara. "I know it's you."

"How did you know?" she asked curiously.

He turned his head to her with a coy smile. "You're the only one in this place that comes looking for me."

She came over and sat down next to him. "The nurses never looked for you?"

"They did at first, trying to get me to stay put, but they realized after a while that it was pointless." He looked back out into the distance, scenes of reconstruction still taking place. Despite where they were, the city they were in did feel the effects of the Reapers, and it was still going to take some time before it looked like it once was. "It's amazing, isn't it? Never in my life have I seen everyone pitching in to rebuild, and I can't help but feel that some of the people out there have never even been here before."

"They all saw what the Reapers did, and they all know that the galaxy, for the first time in history, had been united. That unity is still around even now."

Hyde nodded. "I imagine it's the same thing for the rest of the homeworlds as well: total strangers working together to rebuild their homes. It's inspiring."

"Yes, it is. And I'm sure that there also hard at work with something else too." Hyde looked at with a raised eyebrow. "Finding and burying their dead."

Hyde nodded slowly. "Yeah... and now that I think about it..." Hyde brought his arm up, but then realized something. "Ugh, I forgot. I don't have my omni-tool on me."

Liara gave him a puzzled look. "What do you need it for?"

"I wanna ask a favor from Cortez."

"We'll use mine then." The orange hologram of Liara's omni-tool materialized on her arm, and a blurry screen came up, with Cortez doing what looked like inspection. "Cortez."

Cortez jumped in his chair. "Doctor! Don't surprise me like that."

"Sorry. Hyde would like to speak with you."

Hyde leaned his head over so that Cortez could see him. "How's it going, LT?"

"Nice to see you looking alive and well, Hyde. How are the legs?"

"Better than they used to be. Listen, I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it?"

"I need you to take Liara and I to this location." He began pressing buttons on Liara's omni-tool, and Cortez nodded.

"Got it, but you better tell the major about this. Can't go anywhere without his permission."

Hyde growled under his breath. "Yeah, yeah, chain of command and all that sort of stuff."

"I'm sure he won't mind."

"Probably. I'll let him know and get back to ya'." Hyde cut the communication, and turned his chair to leave. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

Hyde sighed. "A place of importance to me, and somewhere I should've gone to again years ago, but didn't." Liara was still confused, but got up to go with him anyway.

"Before we go, Will, you might want to rethink about your wardrobe."

Hyde stopped and looked down, realizing that he was still wearing a hospital robe. He smacked his forehead. "Gah, how could I forget? I made that mistake last time."

"We should head to the Normandy first then." She brushed past Hyde, passing her hand on his arm. "I can even help you get dressed," she said seductively.

"You tease." They went back up to the previous floor to let Kaidan know where they were taking Cortez, to which he did in fact allow. They then went to the roof, where Cortez and Hyde shook hands, glad to see the other after two months. They all headed inside the shuttle, lifted off, and traveled to the Normandy to put Hyde back in his duds, then to commence their journey to the mysterious location.

Meanwhile, Shepard and Tali were briefly chatting away. For Shepard, it felt even more comforting talking to her now than before the Reapers arrived. He always had the thought in the back of his mind that they were coming, and he needed to be ready for them. It was just a matter of when. Now that they were dead, it felt relaxing to not have to worry about them anymore.

"So what's this about an order that everyone sees me?" Shepard asked.

"It's something we decided on while we were coming back today," Tali answered. "Everyone will come to see you based on how well we know you. Garrus is next because you two are inseparable."

Shepard chuckled. "That's a good way of putting it. Who's after him?"

"It'll be Kaidan, because he was sure you'll want to see him and ask how he was doing as our temporary captain. Then it's James because apparently he's in a hurry for something. Do you know anything about that?"

"I have an idea. Then it's Liara, and I know the reason for that. And then finally it's Javik." Tali nodded. "So where's Garrus now?"

"I imagine he's talking to Dr. Michel."

"Heh, oh really?"

"Yeah. I guess he picked up on what we were hinting before we boarded the dreadnought." Shepard remembered that. Garrus had said that Dr. Michel had gotten him dextro amino chocolate, with him reasoning that she saw it and thought of him. Tali hinted that Garrus was missing something, and when Garrus asked him about it, he answered that Garrus was missing more than he thought. Shepard wondered if they would work out; it would be nice if his best friend had a love interest as well. Just then the door opened, and the facial-scarred turian walked in.

"Well speak of the devil," joked Shepard.

"Sorry about that, Shepard." Garrus replied. "Went to see Dr. Michel for a few minutes while you and Tali mingled."

"It's alright."

"Hmm, you know now that I look at you, you don't look quite as bad as Hackett made it out to be."

"He's had two months to recover Garrus." pointed out Tali, "A lot can heal in that amount of time."

Garrus shrugged. "I suppose you're right."

"Well, I should give you two time to talk. I'm gonna to take a look around the hospital." She leaned in close to Shepard and put a hand on his head. "I'll see you soon." Shepard nodded and Tali left the room, with Garrus' eyes trailing her as she left, then he looked back at Shepard.

"What?" he asked.

"She's been dying to see you again," answered Garrus.

"I know... so was I. Have a seat Garrus." Garrus pulled up the same chair Tali sat in yesterday, and sat down close to Shepard.

"So what is it like Shepard, being blasted by a Reaper laser?"

Shepard shivered at the thought. "It felt like I was on the surface of the sun. My armor melted at different points, and to this day I still don't know how I managed to survive that hit."

"Well you did get spaced two years ago. How painful was that compared to this?"

"Very close."

Garrus let out a short laugh. "It's amazing how much punishment humans can take. Well... at least you anyway."

"Thanks... I think."

"I can't help but feel fortunate about my luck while being with you. Worst I took was that gunship rocket to my face."

"That reminds me. Dr. Chakwas once said that she wanted to help with your scars, but thought that you actually liked them. Is that true?"

Garrus shrugged again. "I'd just prefer to let them heal naturally, less complicated that way, and if anything they make a good conversation piece."

Shepard chuckled. "Just be sure to check who you're telling it too. You never know if you're gonna run across someone that hated Archangel."

Garrus laughed. "True enough." He paused for a moment, almost as if reflecting. "Talking about my time as Archangel really makes me think. We've had one hell of a ride, huh Shepard?"

Shepard nodded. "We sure have. Feros, Noveria, Omega... Earth. We've seen and done more than any person should, and you were there the entire time, never once backing down."

"No I didn't. To think that it all started down in the Zakera Ward. I signed up after I used you as bait. Remember that?"

"Ha! How could I forget? You were bustin' you ass trying to take down Saren, and I was doing the same thing."

"So it was only inevitable that you and I meet. I'm not sure what I would've done if you hadn't brought me along for your hunt for Saren."

"Well the important thing is that I did, and you helped me do a lot of good for the galaxy, from Saren to the Reapers."

"Let's not forget Cerberus too. Watching that place becoming nothing but a pile of scrap metal felt damn good."

"Well, watching the Illusive Man die also felt good."

Garrus was startled to hear that. "What? He's dead? You're not joking are you?"

Shepard shook his head, then gave Garrus a curious look. "You haven't heard?"

"The Alliance News Network couldn't reach us where we were stranded, so we've sort of fallen out of the loop when it comes to the aftermath." Garrus slightly leaned in closer. "So I've certainly never heard this before. Share this good news with your friend, Shepard."

Shepard adjusted himself. "Well... after I ordered you guys to leave, I went up to the Citadel. Where I wound up was a hall littered with corpses..." Shepard shuddered at that. "I know I've killed a lot of people in my time, but seeing that... it was gruesome."

"I'll bet."

"Anyway, I limped my way up to where Anderson was at. He found a console that got the Citadel's wings open-"

"Wait, Anderson was there too?"

Shepard nodded. "He managed to follow me up. Thankfully he didn't get blasted by Harbinger. So as Anderson turned to see me, we both could tell that he wasn't in control of his body anymore. The Illusive Man was there, and he was implanted with a lot of Reaper tech. He began this speech about how he could use the Crucible to control the Reapers thanks to the Catalyst, and that all he needed to do was tie up loose ends"

"Those loose ends being you and Anderson."

"Exactly. Both us tried to convince up that he was indoctrinated, but he wouldn't budge. I was able to talk some sense into him, making him realize that he sacrificed too much to get where he was at. He took the pistol he had on him, and shot himself, knowing that he had, in fact, failed to protect humanity."

"Shot himself? Damn... wish I could've been there to see it. I would've helped him pull the trigger."

"Then after that, I activated the Crucible. Destroyed the Reapers. Happy ending... mostly."

"Mostly?"

Shepard sighed. "During the Illusive Man's ranting, he demonstrated what his implants could make him do. He... forced me to shoot Anderson. He died by my hands."

"Shepard, that wasn't your fault. If the Illusive Man could do that, you had no choice in the matter."

"I just hope that the Hackett will believe that."

"I'm sure Hyde will back you up. He was there to see it too, right?"

"I'm not sure. I was too focus on trying to stop the Illusive Man."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see then." Garrus gave himself a moment to absorb Shepard's story, then he realized something. "You know that whole story sounds awfully familiar..."

"It is. I did the same thing with Saren when we were on the Citadel."

"Right, that's what I was thinking of. You sure do have a way with words, don't you Shepard?"

"More or less." He sighed. "Well, at least with the Illusive Man dead, Cerberus will soon follow. And I destroyed the Reapers in the process; killed two birds with one stone."

"Killed two bir-what?"

Shepard smiled and shook his head. "Killed two birds with one stone. It's a human expression meaning that I completed two things at the same time."

"Ah... just how many expressions are there for humans?"

"Too many to tell in a short conversation." A thought cropped up into Shepard's head. "Have you heard anything about your family?"

"I saw them on Palaven when we went shopping for food. I was so glad to see that they were alright."

"Happy to hear it Garrus, and I'm sure they were glad to see you made it out alive too."

Garrus forced as much as he could for a smile. "It's been a long time since I saw my sister cry; she was so happy to see me, and I think it was the first time I ever hugged my dad. Just seeing them again after worrying for so long..."

Shepard reached over and patted his friend's shoulder. "Tough as you are Garrus, you're only turian. Frankly I'd be surprised if you didn't get emotional over seeing them again."

"Heh, well don't expect me to do it again. It's generally not how turians are, but you're right though, sometimes we do have that one moment of weakness. I'm sure you've had your moments too during the war."

Shepard sighed and averted his eyes. "I'd... rather not talk about it. It was already stressful enough, and I don't want to get to remember specific points."

"Of course. Let's change the subject then."

"So... you and Dr. Michel huh?"

Garrus quietly growled. "Not what I had in mind."

"Come on, Garrus. You brought her up when you came in here, did you honestly expect me to ignore talking about it?"

"Hoped for it, actually, but I guess I set myself up for it, huh?" Shepard nodded in reply. "Well, I spoke with her for a while yesterday, and found out that she had been busy since the last time I saw her. Her expertise attracted the attention of the head doctors at Huerta Memorial and they asked her to go practice there. After that, she came here at Hackett's request to take care of you."

He nodded again. "The reason being was to provide not only her care, but also a friendly face to ease my recovery."

"She mentioned that. I told her that I got the chocolate she sent me, and she wanted to know if I would go on a... date at some point, whenever she had the time."

Shepard gave him a interested look. "And what did you say?"

"Well I had to have her explain to me what a 'date' was first, but after that I told her I would."

"So you did get the hint, then."

"Well, you and Tali made it pretty clear that I was missing something when I mentioned that present."

Shepard chuckled. "I think you two would make a great pair."

"Maybe, but if I'm going to start something with her, I'm going to need to figure out how human relationships work." Garrus had looked away while he said this, but then looked back at Shepard at the end.

"I'm not dating a human, Garrus,"

"No, but you've had enough experience being with Tali that you should be able to provide me with pointers. We are both guys after all."

"True enough. I'll help how I can Garrus, but honestly it comes from the heart."

Garrus nodded, then got up from his seat. "I should probably go now; let you have a few moments to yourself before Kaidan comes. It's good to have you back, Shepard."

"Thanks Garrus. It's good to be back, and it was good seeing you again."

"Same here. I'll let Kaidan know that I'm done, and I'll see you later." Garrus turned and walked out of the room. Shepard laughed to himself, then looked out the window, the sun's rays pouring in. He was happy to know his best friend would, hopefully, soon be in a relationship, and with a human at that. It was going to be interesting to see how Garrus will handle this, as Shepard thought for sure that Garrus never actually entered into a relationship like this before. Then his thoughts turned to Kaidan. The major had taken charge of commanding the crew while Shepard was stranded here, and he looked forward to seeing how Kaidan thought he did as the CO. Shepard also has plans for Kaidan, since he intends on retiring as soon as he can, and now that Kaidan is a Spectre, he's going to need the tools necessary in order to be a good Spectre. He just hoped Kaidan would be ready for the responsibilities and expectations a Spectre is required to have.


	9. Chapter 8

It was towards the middle of the day, and the workers outside were on lunch break. Some of them were enjoying the meals provided to them, and some managed to bring their own. Others had already finished their meals and were enjoying recreation time. A group of twelve workers decided that they would pass the time until they needed to get back to rebuilding by playing soccer. They had divided into teams, and when they began playing a few Alliance soldiers stationed in the town joined in, including Kaidan and James. Both of them were naturally on the same team, with James up on the right forward, and Kaidan on defense. When they joined the opposing team had already scored, and now it was their turn to turn the tide. The central forward teammate received the ball and passed it over to James. He dribbled it down the field until the right defender came close, and James crossed the ball back over to the center, but theirs intercepted it. Their center dribbled it down the opposite way, passing it to his right when Kaidan's centered tried to block, the ball successfully reaching the teammate. Kaidan ran up to the player and managed to kick the ball out of bounds, buying them time to regroup. Their player threw it back in, but Kaidan managed to headbutt it away to his left forward. A series of dizzying passes and dodges between their forwards led to a corner kick. James kicked it back toward his central forward, who, with a little luck, headbutted it into their goal. The team celebrated their accomplishment, and headed back to their positions, the score now one to one.

All the while a confused Garrus was standing there watching these humans kick a ball around, wondering if this really was what humans did for sport, and if this was the case, what other sports do they do, and do they all involve some sort of ball as an objective. A couple of the workers that were spectating tried to encourage him to go play, but he insisted that he didn't know anything about it and didn't want to hinder whatever team he went on. He decided he would ask one of his friends later about this whole thing, and in the mean time he came down here for a reason.

"Kaidan!" he called out, trying to get the major's attention. Kaidan heard his name and turned to see who it was, knowing right away that it was Garrus as soon as he saw his turian friend. As Kaidan moved off field, one of the spectators replaced him, hoping that he wouldn't be coming back. Kaidan ran up to meet Garrus.

"Hey Garrus," he greeted him, showing slight signs of adrenaline. "Anything wrong?"

"Except maybe why humans consider kicking a ball around is a sport, no. I just came down to tell you that it's your turn to see Shepard now."

"Okay. I'll be right up." Garrus nodded, and headed back inside the hospital. Kaidan stretched his back, and proceeded inside as well. The lobby was unsurprisingly empty with the exception of the receptionist nurse and two Alliance guards on either side blocking the entrances to the hallways. As Kaidan passed by the left one, the guard nodded and saluted to the major. Kaidan headed to the elevator and went up to Shepard's floor. He had prepared himself for what Shepard intended to ask, as he guessed that Shepard would be curious as to how he's performed as commanding officer. A nurse passed by him as he came to Shepard's door, and it automatically opened. Shepard had a silver tray placed over his body, with a plate of food over it.

"Hey, Kaidan," welcomed Shepard. "Come on in. I was just about to have lunch."

"Thanks." answered Kaidan. "Hmmm... you know this looks very familiar..."

Shepard briefly wondered what Kaidan man before he realized it. "Yeah, only this time I'm the one in the bed."

"You look worse than I did too."

"You got knocked around a bit by EDI's body; I took a direct hit from a giant laser."

Kaidan shook his head. "It's always gotta be the worst possible for you, doesn't it?" Kaidan sat down next to Shepard; Garrus never having moved the chair back. "So what did it feel like? You had to still walk to the Conduit right?"

"Ugh... my body felt like it was burning even though I wasn't on fire. Every time I put my foot on the ground, it was like daggers shooting up through my legs. It was like I was dying all over again."

"Damn... and now?"

"A lot better. Before you guys showed up, it was hard to breath. I was still in pain, but thankfully I didn't have to move so it wasn't as bad as before."

"Glad to hear it. You know I kinda feel bad for not bringing you a gift like you did for me."

Shepard lightly shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Having everyone here is good enough for me."

"I can imagine. Everyone on the Normandy was working their asses trying to get back in the sky again, just to see you."

"Speaking of which..."

Kaidan sighed. "I knew this was coming."

"Oh come on, Kaidan. It was your duty to take over while I was stuck in the hospital, light years away from... wherever you were. Naturally, I'm gonna want to know how you did."

The major took a deep breath. "The first thing I needed to know after we crashed was a damage report. I assigned the appropriate crew members to positions that best fit them. Adams, Tali and the other engineers naturally went to work on getting the Normandy to run, Dr. Chakwas patched up the few crewman that got rattled by the crash, Garrus, James, and just about the rest of the crew got to work on manual repairs, and Liara and specialist Traynor got busy with getting communications back online."

"What about Javik?"  
"He went on scouting trips to find food and water. He informed me that the plant was lexo-amino based, so Garrus and Tali had to ration down the food they eat. You know overtime Javik managed to warm up to the rest of the crew. I guess being stranded with us for so long made him realize that he's going to be sticking around in this cycle until he dies."

Shepard nodded. "Makes sense. Tali told me about that too. Did you check in with Admiral Hackett often?"

"Actually he checked in with us. He wanted the Normandy to rejoin the Alliance as quickly as possible, but I think we both know what the real reason was."

Shepard chuckled. "Yeah... Hackett's a good man. Well it sounds like you did alright for yourself Kaidan, though I'm curious as to how you think you did."

Kaidan flinched. He hadn't expected this. "You're asking me to put a grade on my performance?" Shepard nodded. "Well I did what any CO would do, but I also wanted to try to ease everyone you know? Make sure that they were alright, since they were all concerned about you and their families. Tali and Liara took the hardest hits."

"Yeah..." he answered, a little depressed just thinking about what Tali told him. "Tali worked like a madwoman to get the Normandy up and running, how much she missed me..."

"Did she ever tell you what the first week was like?" Shepard shook his head. "We had a plaque made with your name on it because we thought for sure you were dead. When it came time to put it up on the wall, Tali didn't do it... or couldn't do it anyway. For the rest of that week she would spend most of her time up in your cabin just staring at it, unable to accept your death. I know this because I tried to comfort her at one point. Didn't do much good."

Shepard lowered his head, distraught to hear this. He hadn't heard about this, and he didn't realize how hard she was taking the lack of news about his well-being, and wondered why she kept that from him.

"Thank you for trying." he finally said, unsure how to answer Kaidan.

"You're welcome Shepard. I'm sure seeing you alive has done a lot to ease her."

"Yeah..." He wanted to change the subject. "Well it's good to know you did pretty well as CO. After all you are going to have to command your own ship soon since you're a Spectre now."

"Damn I forgot about that! I'm going to need to talk to Admiral Hackett about that."

"There's no need to ask him. You'll be getting the Normandy."

"What?!" said a shocked Kaidan. "The Normandy?! What are you talking about?!"

"I plan on retiring as soon as I can," answered Shepard calmly, "And the Normandy is going to need a new Spectre as its commanding officer, and since you served on the Normandy a lot, its only natural you take over."

"But why are you retiring? You've been with the Alliance all your life practically!"

"That's just it. I've been fighting all my life, and now I want to just settle down, raise a family. So I'm giving the Normandy to you as soon as I retire, almost like how Anderson gave me her three years ago."

Kaidan sighed. "I guess it's no use to argue; you seem pretty set on doing this. Wow... full command of the Normandy... I never thought this would happen." Kaidan raised a confused eyebrow. "Is this gonna be a pattern?"

"What is?"

"The Normandy being a sort of hand-me-down ship?"

Shepard snickered. "It looks that way doesn't it?"

"Thanks Shepard. I swear I won't let you down."

"Nevermind letting me down Kaidan. Don't let yourself down."

"Right... well I should-"

"Major, come in!" they heard over Kaidan's earpiece. The soldier on the other side sounded tense.

"Go ahead, soldier." replied Kaidan, putting his two fingers to his ear. "What is it?"

"We got a situation down at the front lobby! We could really use some help down here!"

"Alright I'm on my way." Kaidan looked back at Shepard. "Problem at the front desk."

"Better get to it then."

Kaidan nodded. "Right. I'll see you later, Shepard. It was good to see you again."

"Likewise." Kaidan got up and headed out to see what all the fuss was about.

The shuttle landed in the docking bay after a few minutes of travel. Hyde, Liara, and Cortez all stepped out, with Cortez almost immediately getting to work on tuning up the shuttle for the ride back to Earth. As Liara and Hyde went toward the elevator, the rest of the crew in the bay smiled and nodded at them as they passed, indicating that they were glad to see Hyde again.

_Oh it's so great to be back!_ he thought, smiling and acknowledging the others. The Normandy, to him, was like a second home, much like how his ship, the _Silencer_, was his home, albeit the Normandy was much larger, making it almost feel like a neighborhood of sorts. They went inside the elevator and Hyde pressed the button for the CIC.

"Our room is on the third floor, Will." told a puzzled Liara. "Unless..."

"Yeah. I'm going to go see Joker briefly first." answered Hyde.

She nodded. "You two have a lot in common. It would be good for him to see you again too. For a time, he wasn't doing well."

"I know. Hackett had told us that the Crucible's energy shockwave killed off all AI within its blast radius. So EDI... died."

"Yes, and he took it pretty hard. He wouldn't let anyone near her body for some time before he eventually told us to place it back in the AI core."

Hyde's eyes widened briefly. He knew Joker and EDI had a thing going, but he didn't know Joker felt so strongly about it. "Poor guy. I wish I could say I understand what he was going through, but I didn't lose you."

"I tried to comfort him, but he wanted to be left alone. I had never seen Joker so depressed before." The elevator stopped and opened to the CIC. "I'll wait for you in our room." She bent over and kissed him on the cheek, making him smile from the warmness of her lips. He rolled out and the door closed behind him. The crew on deck were more numerous than before, and he knew the reason for it. It felt more alive with more people here, but it also felt somewhat empty since there wasn't an unshackled AI watching them. Listening to Liara tell him about Joker's reaction to EDI's death sent a pang of guilt into him. Here he was, enjoying being in Liara's company again after two months, and there was Joker who had been overcome with grief about losing his girlfriend. He breathed a sigh of depression.

_It's never 100%, is it?_

Traynor, who was hard at work coordinating with the rest of the Alliance fleet, managed to hear the sigh behind her, and turned to see Hyde sitting there in his hospital robe.

"Hyde!" she said surprised. "It's good to see you again!"

The words of Traynor snapped Hyde out of his funk. "Hey there Sammy. Nice to see you still at it. Why aren't you down there with the rest of the group?"

"Admiral Hackett's been keeping me busy. He's interested to know about the planet we were stranded on, thinking it might be suitable for colonization."

"That's a shame. Well about you being stuck here I mean."

"Oh, I don't mind it. I'm just as anxious to see the commander as everyone else here is, but I know he'll be back soon enough-"

Hyde grinned. "And I'm sure you can't wait to tell him about his new messages huh?"

Traynor knew he was teasing her, and went along with it. "And he's got a lot." She put emphasis on the lot part, and turned back to work.

"Heh. I'll bet." Hyde rolled over to the steps to the bridge. "Ummm, a little help please?" A couple of the crew that were at their posts took an extra moment to help Hyde up the steps by lifting his chair to the top step. He thanked them for their assistance, and rolled down to the door, it opening as soon as he got to it.

"Now you know what it feels like." welcomed Joker, obviously overhearing Hyde's request for help.

"Well at least you can still walk." answered Hyde. "Stairs are going to be my enemy until I'm off of this damn thing."

Joker turned around to see him, and Hyde rolled up for them to shake hands. "Good to have you back, Hyde."

"Good to be back." answered Hyde. "I missed being on here. Being tied down to a bed just doesn't suit me."

"I thought that'd be a luxury for someone who's gone through as much as everyone on here has."

"Maybe, but ever since I got my ship and by being on here, I'm spoiled by travel. I like going around the galaxy to do whatever pleases me."

"Which usually involves you sneaking around places and getting shot at when found."

Hyde just gave a confident smile. "So there's a little challenge in that pleasure. It just makes it that much more exciting, though it might be different if it wasn't fo-" Hyde stopped himself, as he was about to mention Nora. "Nevermind."

"What?" asked a puzzled Joker.

"I don't want to bring it up. Because... well..." Hyde sighed, then looked sympathetically at Joker. "I know about what happened to EDI."

Joker averted his eyes. "Yeah... I'd rather not talk about it."

"Of course, but you know if you ever want to talk-"

"I'm fine." said a stern Joker.

_Clearly not, but if the others couldn't talk to him, I doubt I'll get anywhere. _"Well, alright. So why aren't you down there with the others?"

"I will be. I just need to be... alone for a while until..."

"Right, sorry. I should let you be then." Hyde rolled away, getting back down the stairs with the same crew members assistance. He went back to the elevator and ordered it down. As he made his way back, he thought about what he said to Liara about Hackett telling them about the death of most AI's. That was of course a blatant lie and he knew it, but he also knew that he can't admit the truth. Both he and Shepard dreaded to find out what might happened if anyone knew that they had a chance to achieve the epitome of life: a blend of both organic and synthetic. He thought that idea was impossible: how could such a thing be achieved instantaneously? Destroying the Reapers was one thing; rewriting everyone and everything's DNA was entirely another. Still, the possibility was presented, and Shepard turned away from it, and now they both swore not to reveal what happened there: the Catalyst AI, the choices presented. Hyde didn't like having to lie to Liara, but he was determined to die with this secret.

The door opened, and he rolled to Liara's room. The door opened to Liara sitting in front of her terminal, doing who knew what.

"Still hard at work, huh?" Hyde jested.

"I've been having to recruit new agents," she replied. "It's not going as fast as I would like."

"Well, don't overdo it."

"I know, but even you have to agree that this is important."

"Yeah. Reapers really thinned our numbers, didn't they?"

"Yes they did, but now that you're here it can wait." Liara got up and turned to him. "Let's get you back in your old outfit."

"Fantastic. Let me just get my stuff..." Hyde rolled over to the closet and got his clothes out. He had a fair number of suits, and plenty of dress pants, and pulled out a spare of everything.

"Now the fun part..." he turned his attention back to Liara. "I'm going to need a little help. Think we can do the first ever biotic wardrobe change?"

Liara smiled. "I'll see what I can do." Liara's outline glowed blue as she activated her biotics, and held her hand out to slowly lift him out of his chair. Hyde had never had biotics used on him in this way. A tingling sensation went over him, but it was probably the coolest thing to happen to him, floating above the floor like this. This wasn't the first time Liara had used her biotics on him however: before they flew to the Cerberus headquarters, they had shared their first intimate night together. It was the first time he ever had sex with an asari, or any alien for that matter. It was quite an experience.

"Alright," said Hyde. "Now let me just undo... this... gown..." He fumbled for the strings behind him, and the gown fell to the floor, leaving him nearly nude save for his socks and boxers. "Now if you could just hand me my clothes one by one." Liara nodded and first started with his pants, which took him an extra few seconds because of the casts on his legs, then the shirt, and finally the suit. When he was done, Liara lowered him gently back onto his chair. Hyde couldn't help but grin.

"That actually went pretty well." he complimented her.

"I hope you aren't planning to ask me to do it again." she said.

"Well, I dunno... I mean now that I've had a taste of it..." she gave him a stern look. "I'm kidding. I'm a grown-up; I know how to dress myself. Anyway, shall we get going?" Placing his hospital gown in his lap, Hyde and Liara headed back to the elevator and down toward the shuttle bay. After entering the Kodiak, the deck was cleared, the bay doors opened, and the three of them headed off to Hyde's given coordinates. As they traveled, Liara analyzed Hyde.

"So I suppose now you have to go back and wear your old outfit?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered in disappointment. "I'm gonna contact the STG again at some point and see if they'd be willing to make me another one."

"Are you sure they would be willing to do that?"

"No, but it's worth a shot right?"

"Well you did love that suit."

"Yep. It was the single-most greatest creation in the history of the galaxy."

"Not the Crucible?"

"Matter of opinion. So apart from recruiting new operatives, what else is going on in the network?"

"Our few remaining contacts on Omega inform me that Aria invaded Omega to take back control from Cerberus." Hyde squeezed his face. "What?"

"You know I hate Omega."

"Cerberus is dying after we destroyed their headquarters, so their forces on Omega are in a lot of disarray right now. Besides, would you rather see Cerberus in charge of Omega, or Aria?"

Hyde sighed. "The lesser of two evils. Well, I wish her luck then."

"We're getting close to your coordinates, Hyde." called out Cortez.

"Thanks, LT." responded Hyde.

"Are you not going to give me even a little hint about where we're going?" Liara enticed.

"I will tell you that we're headed toward the U.N.A.S, specifically the state of Massachusetts." After about ten minutes, the shuttle finally set down, the engine's quieting down. Hyde opened the door that revealed a field with a few trees here and there, and many small stones on the ground. Hyde placed the gown on the seat, and the both of them went out, and Liara quickly realized where they were.

"This... is a graveyard, isn't it?" she asked rhetorically.

"Yes." Hyde instinctively headed north, as if he already knew where he wanted to go. Liara followed closely behind. This was her first time ever walking through a human burial site, and even she had to admit it was enlightening; the archeologist in her reawakening, but she remembered that there were far more ancient sites on Earth, and this place was young in comparison. Perhaps in the future she would come visit them. They soon stopped at two headstones, Hyde looking straight at them. Liara looked at them as well, and it was then that she truly knew why they had come. The one on the left read "Jennifer Hyde 2124-2169"; the one on the right read "Franklin Hyde 2120-2169."

"Hyde..." she said, repeating the family name. She looked down at Hyde. "This is where your parents are buried."

Hyde slowly nodded. "They died a couple months after I graduated high school."

"I remember you telling me about that. Carbon monoxide poisoning if I recall."

"Yeah... no foul play or anything, just an unfortunate accident."

Liara kneeled down to meet his eyes with hers. "Will, I'm so sorry."

He lightly smiled. "Thank you, but it's alright. I've had plenty of time to mourn, but when I come back here... it's just a reminder about how much I miss them." He sighed. "At least they weren't harvested."

"What did they do for a living?"

Hyde continued to look at his parents headstones. "Mom was a teacher; taught little kids. Dad worked as a cyber security expert."

Liara looked at him in disbelief. "Wait, your dad worked cyber security? Surely you're joking..."

Hyde shook his head. "Hard to imagine I know. Man trained to protect vital information from hackers, and his own son becomes the very thing he fought against." He looked over to her with a matter-of-fact gaze. "He taught me most of what I know too; wanted me to follow in his footsteps. He began teaching me at an early age."

"How early?"

"As soon as I could grasp arithmetic. He began with very simple programs like how to add, subtract, the usual low level math stuff. He first had to teach me about how to generally make one, then he gave me a math problem and told me to make a program that gave the answer within the week."

"By yourself?"

"He was there to help of course, but I only used him if I was really in a rut. After I completed his... homework, he would give me something similar to do, and would continue like this until I completed it within the day, and had the rest of the week to myself. After that, he pushed the difficulty of it, slowly and steadily. It went on like that for several years."

"So what led you to become a hacker?"

"Boredom." he answered plainly. "It was honest work sure, but there wasn't a thrill in it. So one day I let some files of mine get purposely hacked just so I could trace it back to the hacker. Rather than turn him in, I asked him to teach me the tools of the trade, and from him I learned how to do what I do best: learning things that others don't want me to. Eventually the CIA caught wind of what I was doing, but they were impressed with what I could do, and they turned me into a spy, refining my skills as well as teaching me how to shoot a gun and how to blend in."

"With your dad teaching you everything you know, how did you ever manage socializing?"

"I had few friends. We hung out a lot on my more free weeks, but otherwise I just kept my nose in a book. I was one of the smartest kids in school, and that was alright for me. Plus my parents were happy to see that I was doing so well in school."

"What were they like?"

Hyde smiled, happy to reflect on his parents. "Mom was a caring woman like any good mother should be, but never spoiled me. Dad was good-humored guy, but also wise in a lot of things. Both were good people, but were stern when they knew they needed to be."

Liara went closer to the headstones, staring carefully at the names engraved on them. "Do you think they would have liked me?"

Hyde looked up at the blue sky. "My parents were open-minded people. They taught me that you should formulate your own opinions about someone or something only after you've seen them or it for yourself." He looked back down to meet her eyes. "They were born before the First Contact War, and after that happened the general opinion of aliens here on Earth was distrust. When I asked them what they felt about them, they said that just because we fought against them doesn't mean that aliens were out to destroy us, and would wait to meet some before they decided what they thought of them." Hyde looked at his father's headstone. "God you would've been so disappointed about my chosen career path, wouldn't you?"

For a split second Liara thought he was asking her that, but then noticed he was looking at the headstone. She walked behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "I don't think so. In fact I think they would be very proud of you. Just look at what you've accomplished: you were one of the best, if not the best, spies on Earth. You helped Shepard take down Saren, helped him against the Collectors, and now you helped him defeat the Reapers. Who else has done that besides our friends?"

He put a hand on one of hers. "I guess you're right..." They stared at the graves for a moment.

"What do I do to show respect for them?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Normally we leave a flower or bouquet of flowers at the foot of the stone, but since I didn't bring any..." Hyde rolled over to a nearby tree, and grabbed four palm-sized round stones from the base of it. He then went back to the where Liara was and placed two of the stones in her hands. "This works just as well." He bent over to put the rocks in front of the headstones. Liara followed in suit kneeling down next to him.

"The galaxy lost two wonderful people." she said as she placed the stones down. "May you both rest in peace." Hyde wrapped an arm around her.

"I think they would've liked you." he said. Liara stood up and Hyde returned his arm to its rest.

"I wish I could've met them." she answered regretfully.

"So do I." He paused for a second. "Come on, we should get back to the shuttle." The two of them went back inside the shuttle, and Cortez lifted it off and back to the hospital, letting the departed sleep in peace.


	10. Chapter 9

As Kaidan power-walked toward the elevator, his mind was racing with thoughts. Who was causing problems? Why were they doing it? If their intention was to capture Shepard for some hidden purpose, or if it was the media who learned his location, they would have to go through him to do it. Shepard was recovering nicely, and he didn't want anyone to ruin that now with whatever their motives were. He called up the elevator and headed down.

When he reached the ground floor, he resumed his determined walk. As the front desk came into view, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was a krogan arguing with the receptionist, but it was one he knew, though he was still surprised to see him here.

"For the last time, sir," said the lady, mustering as much politeness as she could despite her irritation with this stubborn krogan. "You can't see the commander."

"I bring my people here to kick the Reapers off of Earth," reminded the krogan, "And this is how I'm treated? Like some common brute? I'm going to go up there whether you like it or not princess, and there ain't anything you can do to stop me."

"I'd suggest dropped the hostility, krogan." ordered the soldier to the krogan's right. "Or-"

"Or what?" taunted the krogan, "I got shot at by Reapers on Palaven. I nearly had an asari freak stick her filthy hands into me. You really think you're little pee shooter is gonna do anything, tough guy?"

"Wrex!" Kaidan called out. Wrex spun his head to see the voice calling his name.

"Kaidan! Finally!" he answered, unphased by Kaidan's presence. "Tell these pyjaks to stand aside and let an old friend see Shepard."

"You know him, sir?" asked the closest soldier to Kaidan.

"Yeah." Kaidan replied. "He helped Shepard and the rest of us stop Saren and the geth. Let him through."

"Yes sir." The soldiers didn't look too pleased to do so, but they had to follow the major's orders.

"What a shame." said Wrex, continuing to taunt the soldiers. "And here I was hoping to finally try human liver. Guess it'll have to wait." He focused his attention back at Kaidan. "Alright Kaidan, show me where Shepard is."

"Follow me." He and Wrex headed back toward the elevator and proceeded upward to Shepard's floor.

"Glad to see you again, Wrex." continued Kaidan. "Even if only was a short while ago. The party and all that."

"Same here." answered Wrex, cooling off. "You still got those vintage biotic amps in your head?" Kaidan replied yes. "Don't know why you hang on to those things. I thought they had better ones now."

"They do, but the procedure to replace them is near impossible to do flawlessly. Besides I don't suffer the more serious downsides about the L2's, so I don't really have a reason to switch."

"Yes you do. You still can't beat Shepard with those pieces of crap."

"Deja vu..." Kaidan murmured. "So how did you even know Shepard was here?"

Wrex did his familiar chuckle. "There's something to be said about personally knowing the Shadow Broker."

"Liara. Of course. I guess I can't blame her though. You are one of Shepard's oldest friends."

"Even if I wasn't, he cured the genophage. I owe him this much."

"I heard about that. Wish I was there to see it."

"I heard you got your head smashed in by that female robot I saw on the Normandy. Nearly died from it. What's the matter Kaidan? Can handle armies of robots with Shepard and the rest of us, but can't handle one on your own?"

"You didn't see how fast it was, Wrex. Have you ever had your head beaten against solid metal?"

"Helps to have armor plating for a skull."

"Yeah. Humans don't have that."

"And that's why you got beat up so badly. And that's why Shepard still wins." The elevator stopped and opened up. Many of the staff saw the krogan, and both of them could tell that Wrex's presence made the staff uneasy.

"You think they'd never seen a krogan before." Wrex said in disbelief.

"Up until recently, I don't think they have." answered Kaidan. He pointed in the direction of Shepard's room. "Shepard is down there at the end of the hall."

"Alright. Let's see how bad of shape Shepard's in." Wrex trotted down the hall and the door immediately opened as soon as he got close. He saw his human friend lying in bed with faded bruises and burns on his face and arms. He also noticed Tali sitting in front of Shepard as well, having only just returned to her man's side. Both were talking to each other and didn't hear the door open.

"You're not as bad as I thought you were." blurted Wrex. Shepard and Tali abruptly turned to see who made that comment, and saw their old krogan friend standing at the doorway.

"Wrex?!" said a surprised Shepard. "What are you doing here?!"

"I thought you'd be happy to see Uncle Urdnot again, Shepard." Wrex sounded sarcastically disappointed.

"I am! It's just... I didn't think you'd show up."  
"I thought John's location was a secret." added Tali. "Unless... Liara told you didn't she?"

"Yep." confirmed Wrex. "Told me about this place last night, and got here as soon as I could, only to be stopped by those soldier pyjaks downstairs. Good thing Kaidan showed up, or there might have been a bit of a mess." Wrex ended the sentence with a sinister chuckle.

"Don't cause them so much trouble Wrex. They were shooting at Reapers a couple months ago. I'm sure they're still a bit on edge."

"Eh, I'll cut'em some slack this time. Also nice to see you again Tali. Why weren't you on the Normandy when I was? You missed Shepard giving quite a show with the genophage cure. My favorite quarian wouldn't give me the cold shoulder, would she?"

"Heh, no I wouldn't Wrex. I heard about it though, and I wish I could've seen it, but I had my own problems."

"Think you mentioned that at Shepard's place. An admiral huh?"

"It was just a formality." Tali modestly admitted. "I needed the power to try and stop the Board from going to war with the geth. A lot of good that did though."

"Heard about your little war." Wrex informed. "Sounds crazy to me that your both playing nice now."

"I could say the same thing about the krogan getting along with the turians."

Wrex let out a loud laugh. "That's why I like you Tali. You got my kind of humor."

"Thanks Wrex... I think. Well I should let you two have some privacy." Tali hugged Shepard before she got up and walked out. Wrex's eyes trailed her as she did, then directed his attention back at Shepard. Wrex came to his side and stood over him, knowing that the dinky chair next to him couldn't handle all that krogan.

"So you and Tali huh?"

"Was it that obvious?" asked Shepard.

"You seemed all too eager to bring her to that casino party." answered Wrex.

"I don't get to take her to too many nice places. Hopefully now that'll change."

"At least she doesn't have you mating with every female you see." Wrex grumbled.

"Bakara still telling you to do that?"

"Yes... I never once thought I would have so much I'd get sick of it." Shepard let out a laugh. "Good thing this is hospital. I'm sure there's no shortage of ice packs here."

"I'm sure they'll help you out." reassured Shepard. "So what's been happening with you Wrex?"

"Still banging heads with the Council." answered Wrex. "I didn't envy you when you had to do that. The pyjaks are doin' everything they can to drag it out. Shooting Reapers here on Earth was a nice break from that."

"Well good luck with the Council. It only took me three years before they finally started listening."

"And it only took the Reapers being at their doorstep before they were begging you to help them. Wonder what kind of apocalypse I need in order to get them to give us some room to expand."

"Hopefully it won't come to that. How are things with the turians?"  
"That Primarch of theirs is alright. A lot better than most politicians I've run across, like your Udina for example." Shepard barely shook his head. He never did like Udina. The guy was too concerned about rising up then he was with real problems. He felt good when he was the one who put the bullet into his chest, and not Kaidan.

"The turian and I agree that we should just bury the past." continued Wrex. "A lot of krogan won't be happy about playing nice with them, but too bad for them. Bakara and I are the ones in charge."

"And I hope that'll stay like that for a long time." wished Shepard. "I can't imagine what would happen if someone like your brother were in charge."

"I'll tell ya what would happen: everything I worked for will be thrown out the window like varren dung, and Tuchanka will always look like a pile of rubble."

"Lucky for you that so many clans like what you do."

"Can't argue with that. My turn to ask now. What's next for you Shepard? Gonna go stare down more giant lasers?"

Shepard grinned and shook his head. "Not in this lifetime. I'm retiring as soon as I get out of here."

"You? Retired?" Wrex burst with laughter. After a few seconds Wrex saw that Shepard's face didn't change. "Wait, you're serious?" Shepard nodded. "Why?"

"I'm spent, Wrex." admitted Shepard. "I've been fighting all my life. It's time I took a break."

"You're not gonna get one now that you've saved everyone's sorry asses. With my help of course."

"If I recall I was the one getting shot at by a Reaper."  
"And I was giving you the spiritual support to keep going."

Shepard looked unimpressed. "Uh huh..."

Wrex chuckled, then stretched. "Well I should probably get going."  
Shepard was a bit surprised. "So soon?"

"You aren't running the show for humans. I gotta make sure things don't get out of hand back home. And..." he chuckled again. "I do enjoy watching the Council squirm."

"You know I'm kinda surprised you didn't bring Grunt with you."

"I got him back on Tuchanka being a bodyguard for Bakara. She isn't me, but she shares power, and not too many krogan are pleased with that."

"She handled herself pretty well on Sur'kesh." reminded Shepard.  
"Those were just Cerberus soldiers. A bunch of armed, angry krogan is a lot worse than that." Shepard shrugged, having to admit that that was true. "I was told that Hyde was here too. Where'd he go off to then? Heard I was coming and decided to hide from me again?" Wrex chuckled at his pun.

"He's probably in the sun room. That's where he usually goes."

"Eh, too much effort. I'll just send him a card or something. Take it easy Shepard."

"You too, Wrex." Wrex made his way to the door before stopping to look back at him.

"Oh, and don't forget to invite me to the wedding." He snickered, then left. Shepard flinched in his bed. He hadn't thought of marriage yet, but it was something he had to think about now. If he was going to spend the rest of his life with Tali, they might as well make it official. The two of them would have to discuss it of course, and for now he would keep it in the back of his head. Now was not the time, but it was something to look forward to.

The shuttle landed perfectly back on the landing pad. Liara and Hyde kissed each other goodbye as she had to get back to her business. As soon as he rolled out, the door closed and it flew back out to the Normandy. Hyde proceeded to the elevator and went down to the ground floor. He had heard the sounds of the soldiers and workers playing soccer, and it would be a nice deviation from his usual hospital day. He made his way outside, and saw that Kaidan and James were participating as well. He also noticed Garrus was near him, observing the humans playing. Hyde went up next to him and spectated with him.

"It's called soccer." Hyde pointed out. Garrus didn't flinch when he was told.

"And this what humans do for sports?" he asked, puzzled. "Kick a ball around and get it into a net?"

"Well, it's the only sport that every human knows how to play. There are other sports that we do, but some of them are usually played within a continent."

"Do they all involve balls?" He sounded bored when he asked.

"Some of them. I take it this isn't something turians would do for sport?"

"We don't actually have a lot of sports. Military-focused race and all. The sports we do have are a bit more... physical then this." He stated that as one of the players did a slide tackle for the ball.

"We have our share of physical sports too. Wrestling, boxing, American football. I'm sure those might tickle your fancy."

"I know what the first two are, but what is American football?"

"I'll link ya' a vid." As they both looked on at the match taking place, a thought had crossed Hyde's mind. "I wonder..."

"What?"

"I was just thinking. We live in a galaxy filled with different races, each having their own variety of sports. I was wondering if it would be possible to have a sort of galactic Olympics."

Garrus looked at him with a raised brow. "What are the Olympics?"

"A competition that involves a series of different sports and physical activities that happens every two years, with one taking place in the winter and the other in summer. Almost every country, and now it's almost every colony beyond Earth, is represented by their various athletes, who train for a long time in order to have a shot at being considered the best in their field."

"I don't know if that would work though." Garrus answered skeptically. "There would be events that some races that could just not participate in."

"True. I can't imagine a krogan doing a pole vault, or a turian doing swimming relays. Still, wouldn't it be nice to further expand on galactic unity by having a friendly competition to see who's the best athlete in the galaxy?"

"I suppose so, though I don't think this peace will go away soon. It finally happened thanks to Shepard, and no one wants to see it end." Hyde nodded his head in agreement. They watched James score a goal and his team celebrated it before resetting themselves for the next bout. "So... would your Olympics be happening this year."

"Yep, and it would have been the winter Olympics, but they probably aren't gonna take place this year on account of the invasion." Hyde answered in disappointment.

"I take it you like watching them?"

"Definitely. It's the most entertaining thing to watch when it comes around. You should watch it with me sometime when 2188 rolls around."

"I'll keep it in mind." The opposing team was putting up a good fight. They had tried twice to score, but Kaidan proved to be an excellent goalie. "So have you asked Dr. Michel out on a date yet?"

That question startled Garrus. "Well I... uh... no."

"Why not? You know she has a crush on you, and you have been catching up with her right?"

"Yeah, but... I dunno I just think it's too soon right now."

"Garrus, its been three years since the two of you met, and she's liked you ever since that time. If you don't hop on it now, someone else might sweep her up."

Garrus sighed. "Yeah maybe you're right."

They heard a laugh from the door. "Even Hyde's making you squirm Garrus. Next thing you know Liara's gonna make you do it too." They both turned to see their old pal Wrex.

"Wrex?!" they both replied in shock.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" asked Hyde.

"Take a wild guess." answered Wrex.

"Well obviously." answered Hyde. "But how did you even... no wait another wild guess. Liara told you, didn't she?"

"At least you're good at something." Wrex teased. "Can't even get good injuries. Only your legs got banged up huh?"

"Sor-ry for not being as much of a badass as Shepard is." Now it was Hyde's turn to tease. "But by the looks of it I'm more of a badass than you in this case. I actually got injuries while you look right as rain." Wrex laughed.

"Never thought I'd be hearing you brag about it, Hyde." commented Garrus.

"Ah let him have his moment." Wrex encouraged. "Speaking of injuries, I've been meaning to ask Garrus, what happened to your face?"

"Took a missile to it back on Omega." he replied. "Luckily Shepard was there to cart me back to the Normandy to get it patched up."

"You should try and keep those scars." advised Wrex. "You'll be a hit with the krogan ladies."

"Assuming they have time for me. I imagine that after you helped Shepard cure the genophage every krogan female wants to be with you."

Wrex uttered a grunt. "You have no idea. I've had to put ice on my quad from all the mating."

Hyde's eyes widened. "And Eve's alright with this?"

"She encouraged me to do it, actually." Both Garrus and Hyde laughed.

"So are you heading out, Wrex?" asked Hyde after he had caught his breath.

"Yeah. I gotta get the Council back on their toes again. They're a pain in the ass to deal with, but you wouldn't believe how satisfying it is to watch them squirm." Wrex did his usual chuckle.

"I bet. Take care of yourself, Wrex."

"See you chumps later." And with that Wrex disappeared from sight as he walked back to where his "borrowed" transport was. Hyde and Garrus returned their attention to the game.

"Makes sense that Wrex would be here." uttered Garrus. "He's known Shepard as long as the rest of us."

"Yeah." replied Hyde. "I kinda wish he would've stayed with us even after Shepard got the genophage cure taken care of."

"He's too busy ruling over the krogan to stay for a long period of time, but I agree." Garrus just realized something. "If Wrex was here to see Shepard, then that means it's James' turn to see him."

"Huh?" Hyde looked puzzled. "Why would it be his 'turn'?"

"Before we came here today, all of us decided on an order on when we would see Shepard. James was after Kaidan, but since Wrex was here I guess he had to wait. I better let him know." By this time the other team had score, and they were resetting the ball. "James!" Garrus called out. James turned to his turian buddy.

"What's up, Garrus?" he called back.

"You're up!" It took a second for James to realize what Garrus meant, and he jogged over to the door.

"Thanks for the FYI, Scars." he said as he passed by. Hyde stretched his arms.

"Well, I'm gonna head back inside and get something to eat." He turned to leave, but looked back at Garrus. "I believe you have something to do now to, right?"

"Right." Garrus knew what he meant. Both of them headed inside to do their tasks, with Garrus going up to the receptionist and asking where Dr. Michel was.

"Currently checking in on the commander, sir." she answered pleasantly.

"Thank you." He went to the elevator and back up to Shepard's floor. The door slid open, and saw her just as James was entering. She went down the hallway, and they met halfway.

"Garrus!" she said, a little surprised. "Umm... what can I do for you?"

_Come on Vakarian. You can do this._ "I was wondering, doctor-"

"Please Garrus, call me Chloe."

"Alright, Chloe. I was wondering if... uh..." he was getting nervous with a warm, sweaty feeling coming over him. "I was wondering if it'd be alright if I were to take you out to dinner sometime." For a moment she couldn't answer. "Ah, you're probably too busy right now. Forget I asked." He turned to leave, but the good doctor stopped him.

"Wait!" He turned his head back to her. "I would be happy to go on a date with you Garrus."

"Really?"

"Yes. I was actually hoping you would ask me for some time now."

"Oh! Um... sorry about that. It's just that... this isn't something I'm used to."

"It's alright. Later is better than never."

He shrugged. "I guess. So, uh... when would be the best time for you? Since, you know, you have your patients to deal with."

"I'm free tonight. Meet me down in the lobby at around 8, okay? I know the best place to go around here."

"Alright, I'll meet you there." Dr. Michel smiled and went back to attend to her duties. As soon as he was sure that she was gone, he breathed a sigh of relief.

_Hyde, I'm gonna kill you for putting me through that. But then I'm gonna buy you a round if this goes well._


End file.
